Inside This Issue:

4th All-Ireland Cancer Conference Heralded as Success

3rd All-Ireland Cancer Statistics Report Release

Cancer 2008

Cancer Genomics MasterClass

4th AICC Poster Winners

Partner Update

Consortium Leadership

Health Economics Workshop

IACR 2009 Annual Meeting

Announcements

What's Next

Please direct all communications to the Consortium at:

E-MAIL
consortium@cancer.gov

TELEPHONE
(from Ireland/Northern Ireland)
001-301-496-5534

ADDRESS
Ireland-Northern Ireland-NCI
Cancer Consortium
6130 Executive Blvd.
Suite 100
Bethesda, MD 20892

WEB SITE
http://www.allirelandnci.org

4^th All-Ireland Cancer Conference Heralded as Success

The 4^th All-Ireland Cancer Conference (AICC) was hosted by the Ireland-Northern Ireland-National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Consortium at the Four Seasons Hotel in Dublin on 30 November through 3 December 2008. The conference offered a uniquely multi-disciplinary overview of the most recent advances in cancer research and care. Over 390 delegates from the island of Ireland, North America, and the United Kingdom (U.K.) were in attendance.

Dr. Harry Comber, director of the National Cancer Registry, Ireland (NCRI) and member of the Consortium Strategic Advisory Group, chaired the committee responsible for organizing the 4^th AICC scientific program, which featured an exceptional combination of plenary, break-out, and seminar sessions, as well as lively evening social events. As a result of the committee’s efforts, the conference successfully attracted over 70 internationally-renowned speakers with expertise in the areas of basic science, clinical care, cancer nursing, health services research, and cancer prevention.

The 4^th AICC program commenced on Sunday evening, 30 November 2008, with an informal dinner and a screening of five international films selected from the International Union Against Cancer “Reel Lives” Film Festival. Following the screening, Ms. Isabel Otero, program director for the All-Ireland NCI Cancer Consortium, introduced cancer survivor and Dear Talula director, Ms. Lori Benson, who remained on hand to answer questions about her film.

The Minister of the Department of Health and Children (DoHC) of Ireland, Mary Harney, T.D., officially opened the 4^th AICC on 1 December 2008 with welcoming remarks. In the days that followed, twelve sessions encompassing a wide spectrum of cancer-related topics, ranging from cancer prevention to treatment to palliative care, were conducted. These sessions provided delegates with the opportunity to examine and discuss issues as diverse as biobanking, genome-wide association studies, and the development of communication skills for public health professionals. Between sessions, conference attendees viewed an extensive selection of scientific posters presented by both junior and more experienced researchers. In addition, Consortium-sponsored NCI Cancer Prevention fellows Drs. Lesley Anderson, Sharon Glynn, Gwen Murphy, Amanda Black, and Brid Ryan, presented their research during the Prevention Workshop that took place during the conference.

The 4^th AICC culminated on Wednesday, 3 December, with a mini-symposium hosted by the Irish Association of Cancer Research. The conference was followed by a Cancer Genomics MasterClass, which was sponsored by Trinity College Dublin and St. James’s Hospital, as part of the Dublin Region Higher Education Alliance.

The Consortium would like to extend a sincere thanks to the NCI, the NCRI, the DoHC of Ireland, and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety of Northern Ireland for their support in making the 4^th AICC a memorable and rewarding experience for all involved.