WYNNEWOOD, Pa., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- An international symposium to discuss treatment options for rectal cancer, the third most common cancer in the United States, will be held at Lankenau Hospital on December 9 and 10. Specialists in the field of rectal cancer will travel from 25 medical centers across four continents to share information on ways to help more patients live without colostomies. The Rectal Cancer Consensus Conference is hosted by Lankenau’s new Walter and Leonore Annenberg Conference Center for Medical Education.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. and the most common internal cancer affecting people in eastern Pennsylvania. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 106,370 new cases of colon cancer and 40,570 new cases of rectal cancer in 2004 in the United States. Combined, they will cause about 56,730 deaths.
The physicians, some from as far away as Italy, Brazil, China and Israel, have been drawn to the Philadelphia area to plot the course of future treatment of rectal cancer using minimally invasive techniques, and to honor the work of Dr. Gerald Marks of Lankenau Hospital. Dr. Marks, a leader in the field of rectal cancer management, pioneered surgical methods to avoid the need for a colostomy in patients with rectal cancer. His medical achievements over 50 years include developing the International Network of Comprehensive Rectal Cancer Centers, a consortium of prestigious medical centers around the world, including locations in Italy, Brazil, Israel and China, among others.
“By sharing and exploring new therapies and surgical techniques, we further our goals of preserving normal function in our patients and avoiding the need for permanent colostomies,” said John H. Marks, M.D., Chief of Colorectal Surgery, Main Line Health, and Senior Investigator Lankenau Institute for Medical Research. “These techniques have given thousands of people a better quality of life and a much brighter future.”
The conference kicks off Thursday, December 9 at 6:00 p.m. with the “First Annual Gerald J. Marks, M.D., Rectal Cancer Lectureship” with keynote speaker Mohammad Mohuiddin, M.D., Professor and Chairman, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Kentucky.
A vital community resource since 1860, Lankenau Hospital is a 351-bed acute-care teaching hospital and founding member of Main Line Health.
Main Line Health
CONTACT: Frieda Schmidt of Main Line Health, +1-610-526-8763