Thyroid Cancer Experts To Present Latest Research on Thyroid Cancer Care At 11th International Conference for Thyroid Cancer Survivors and Families in St. Louis, Missouri on October 17-19, 2008

Other Specialists Will Also Speak; Plus Survivors and Caregiver Roundtables

Thyroid cancer survivors and families from around the United States, as well as Canada and Netherlands will be gathering in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 17-19, 2008, to learn from physician specialists about the latest research in thyroid cancer, during the 11th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Conference.

The conference is sponsored by the national nonprofit organization ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association, Inc. Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer and is ranked the number one cancer in incidence growth in women and number three in men.

Speakers at the more than 100 sessions at the Sheraton Westport Hotel/Lakeside Chalet at 191 Westport Plaza, St. Louis, include 25 leading physicians who will lead 43 sessions, plus 15 other specialists, including 2 dentists, a pharmacist, mental health professionals, 3 attorneys, financial specialists, and other specialists in coping skills and well-being, as well as thyroid cancer survivors, and caregivers. There are sessions about each type of thyroid cancer (papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic, and variants), for people of all ages at all phases of testing, treatment, and follow-up.

This educational and supportive event is FREE to anyone who requests a scholarship. Walk-in attendees are welcome. Discounted hotel rooms are available.

The following are a few selected sessions at the conference. For the complete program schedule and further conference details, visit ThyCa's web site, call 1-877-588-7904, or e-mail to thyca@thyca.org orconference@thyca.org.

• Ask a Doctor: How to Choose a Thyroid Surgeon, Questions to Ask, and Key Issues in Thyroid Surgery and Recovery. Joseph Scharpf, M.D., Surgeon, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH
• Staging and Prognostic Systems: What Do They Mean For Patients Living with Thyroid Cancer. R. Michael Tuttle, M.D., Endocrinologist, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
• Thyroid Cancer Overview, Treatment, and Post-Operative Surveillance, Including Thyroglobulin and Thyroglobulin Antibody Testing. Matthew D. Ringel, M.D., Endocrinologist, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH
• Ask an Endocrinologist About How Doctors Manage Thyroid Cancer in the Short Term and Over the Long Term. Steven I. Sherman, M.D., Endocrinologist, Endocrinologist, University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
• Introduction to a New Blood Test That Will Detect the TSH Receptor Messenger RNA, Making It a Marker of Thyroid Cancer Cells Circulating in the Blood. Mira Milas, M.D., Endocrine Surgeon, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH
• Follow-up of Patients with Well-Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. Irini E. Veronikis, M.D., Endocrinologist, St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, St. Louis, MO
• Managing Papillary Thyroid Cancer and Elimination with Ethanol Ablation of I-131 Resistant Residual Neck Nodal Disease. Ian Hay, M.D., Ph.D., Endocrinologist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
• Ask a Surgeon about Medullary Thyroid Cancer Treatment Options. Jeffrey F. Moley, M.D., Surgeon, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
• Medullary Thyroid Cancer: Novel Therapies Discussion. Julie Ann Sosa, M.D., M.A., Surgeon, Surgeon, Yale Univ Sch of Medicine, New Haven, CT
• Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer, New Treatments on the Horizon. Bryan McIver, M.D., Ph.D., Endocrinologist, Endocrinologist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
• An Oncologist Discusses Targeted Therapies for Advanced Thyroid Cancer. Marcia S. Brose, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Oncologist, Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
• Questions About Pregnancy and Parenting When Dealing with Thyroid Cancer. Rebecca Brown, M.D., Endocrinologist, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL
• Managing Thyroid Cancer for Those Diagnosed Before Age 18: Answering Your Questions About Treatment, Testing and Research. Paul R. Krakovitz, M.D., Otolaryngologist, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH
• The Increasing Incidence of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer, and Managing It in the First Few Years After Diagnosis. Jennifer A. Sipos, M.D., Endocrinologist, Endocrinologist, University of Florida Shands Cancer Center, Gainesville, FL
• Patient/Physician Relationships: Effective Communication and Coordination. Steven G. Waguespack, M.D., Endocrinologist, Univ. of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, and Sandy Triplett, ThyCa Volunteer, MO.
• How the Medical Team Deals with Pain Management When Coping with Cancer. Teresa L. Deshields, Ph.D., Psychologist, Psycho-Oncology Service, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO
• Treatment Issues Common to Many Types of Cancer, and the Roles of Medical Oncology, Hematology, Nuclear Medicine, and Internal Medicine. Edward B. Silberstein, M.D., Nuclear Medicine Physician, Internist, Medical Oncologist, Hematologist, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
• Ask an Attorney about Legal Issues Related to Social Security and Disability Laws. M. Julie Shanahan, Esq., Attorney, Crowe & Shanahan, St. Louis, MO
• Financial Wellness During Cancer. Kevin Ferris, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., C.M.C., Wellness Community, St. Louis, MO
• Coping with Cancer. Shannon Nanna, Psy.D., Psycho-Oncology Psychologist, Siteman Cancer Center, Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO

PLUS more than 80 additional sessions

For details, visit ThyCa's web site or e-mail to conference@thyca.org.