Over 17,000 scientists convene at AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010

Scientific breakthroughs in molecular targeting, translational cancer research and cancer prevention will take center stage when more than 17,000 scientists from around the world gather at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, April 17-21, for the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010.

"We are now entering our second century of Annual Meetings and I believe we will have the ability to control this disease in the near term," said Tyler Jacks, Ph.D., president of the American Association for Cancer Research and director of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"This does not mean that we will cure all diseases, but cancer patients will experience significantly longer survival, including those with the most devastating diagnosis, as we implement the new approaches we're discovering today," he said.

The theme of the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 is "Conquering Cancer Through Discovery Research," and scientists from many disciplines will present approximately 6,300 abstracts in all aspects of cancer. This year's Annual Meeting will feature an expanded number of plenary sessions where new, exciting information will be presented on familiar topics like cancer genetics, but also new arenas like small RNAs, nanotechnology and systems biology, according to Jacks.

To help guide coverage of the conference, the AACR Communications Department has planned the following five press conferences:

• BATTLE Trial Personalizes Lung Cancer Therapy
• Emerging Technologies: Diagnosis and Treatment
• MicroRNAs May be Key to Cancer Knowledge and Future Cures
• Breast Cancer Prevention: Raloxifene as Effective as Tamoxifen with Fewer Side Effects
• How Infection and Inflammation Can Lead to Cancer
• Cancer Prevention Strategies Highlighted at AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010

In addition, the American Association for Cancer Research has issued the following releases on studies that may be of interest to the media:

• Mammographic Density and Risk of Breast Cancer: New Findings Presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010
• Cancer Health Disparities Research Highlighted at AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010
• Excessive Alcohol Consumption May Lead to Increased Cancer Risk
• Metformin May Prevent Lung Cancer in Smokers
• Advocates and Researchers Educate Community About Cancer in Game Show Format
• First-In-Class Drug BBI608 Tested in Patients with Advanced Cancer
• Increased EGFR Levels May be an Early Marker of Breast Cancer
• Vitamin and Calcium Supplements May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
• Body Mass Index Gain Throughout Adulthood May Increase Risk of Postmenopausal Breast Cancer
• Biomarkers Help Predict Prostate Cancer Progression
• Statins Do Not Protect Patients Against Risk of Colorectal Adenoma