GENERAL INFORMATION | home

Join us, October 4–6, 2006, for the Third Biennial Cancer Survivorship Research Conference, Cancer Survivorship: Embracing the Future, to explore innovative research advances in the field of cancer survivorship.

Attend stimulating scientific presentations, participate in discussions focused on innovative research findings, and network with multidisciplinary experts vested in the continued evolution of survivorship research.

The 2.5 day conference will include plenary talks, panel presentations, and breakout sessions relevant to the focus of the meeting. In addition, a poster session will ensure time for open, informal discussion of meeting topics.

Cancer Survivorship: Embracing the Future is co-sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American Cancer Society (ACS), and the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF).

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Conference Location | back to top

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
5701 Marinelli Road
North Bethesda, MD  20852
(301) 822-9200 Telephone
(301) 822-9201 Guest Fax

What are the conference goals? | back to top

Key aims of Cancer Survivorship: Embracing the Future include:

• Identifying future directions of cancer survivorship research
  
  
• Examining advances in e-health and communications
  
  
• Identifying challenges to follow-up care for cancer survivors
  
  
• Understanding and addressing the needs of cancer caregivers and families
  
  
• Reviewing research and strategies to address health disparities in cancer survivorship

Who should attend? | back to top

Cancer Survivorship: Embracing the Future will bring together:

• Researchers in behavioral and biomedical science
  
  
• Health care professionals
  
  
• Federal scientists
  
  
• Graduate students in health-related sciences
  
  
• Community-based advocates
  
  
• State public health planners
  
  
• Cancer survivors and families

Why attend? | back to top

In the last decade, survivorship research has been growing in prominence in the scientific cancer research agenda:

• In 2003, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reviewed the policy implications of childhood cancer survivorship in its report, Childhood Cancer Survivorship: Improving Care and Quality of Life.
  
  
• In the NCI’s 2004 budget request, improving treatment outcomes for cancer survivors and their families was identified as a priority area for research.
  
  
• The President’s Cancer Panel completed a series of cross-country meetings that explored the challenges experienced by survivors and their families in living beyond the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, culminating in their 2004 Annual Report, Living Beyond Cancer: Finding a New Balance, and its companion report, Living Beyond Cancer: A European Dialogue.
  
  
• The LAF joined forces with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lead a public health effort to address the issues faced by the growing number of cancer survivors. This collaboration, A National Action Plan for Cancer Survivorship: Advancing Public Health Strategies, charts a course for the public health community to more effectively and comprehensively address cancer survivorship to improve the quality of life for survivors.
  
  
• Optimizing health and quality of life for cancer survivors and their families was identified as a research priority in the NCI’s 2005 budget request.
  
  
• In 2005, the IOM released a second report on adult survivorship, From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition, which addresses the issues adult cancer survivors face post-treatment.

The advent of these and other exciting cancer survivorship-focused initiatives demonstrates the emergence of the field. 

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Office of Cancer Survivorship (OCS), which was established by the NCI in recognition of the millions of individuals now surviving cancer for longer periods of time and their unique and poorly understood needs. Since its inception, the OCS has forged collaborations with ACS, the LAF, and other cancer organizations to sustain the momentum and advancement in cancer survivorship research. 

Through Cancer Survivorship: Embracing the Future, celebrate the lives of the millions of cancer survivors alive today in the United States and abroad, their families and caregivers, and honor those who are no longer with us. Together, we continue to make strides in enhancing the quality and length of life of people affected by cancer.