Dr. Brendan D. Curti
LACOC News:
Asponsored by
The Los Alamos Council on Cancer will sponsor free Melanoma Cancer Seminar with a free light supper at 5:15 p.m. and the seminar beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 24 at the First Baptist Church, 2200 Diamond Dr.
Dr. Brendan D. Curti, the featured speaker, holds two positions within Providence Cancer Center in Portland, Ore. He is director of genitourinary oncology research at the Robert W. Franz Cancer Research Center in the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, and also the director of Providence Biotherapy Clinical Program.
Dr. Curti will:
- Review the basics of T-cell biology as it relates to existing and developing immunotherapies in melanoma;
- Discuss the fundamental aspects of the BRAF, RAS and MEK growth pathways in melanoma and some of recently discovered targeted therapies; and
- Present recent translational research efforts for patients with metastatic melanoma.
Cancer of the skin is by far the most common of all cancers. Melanoma accounts for less than 3 percent of skin cancer cases, but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths. The rates of melanoma have been rising for at least 30 years.
The American Cancer Society estimates the following for 2014 in the United States:
- About 67,100 new melanomas will be diagnosed (about 43, 890 in men and 32,210 in women)
- About 9,710 people are expected to die of melanoma (about 6,470 men and 3, 440 women)
Melanoma is potentially curable, if caught in the early stages. When it spreads to other organs, the survival rate is 5 percent or less. Patients with advanced melanoma are getting a boost from what’s being done at Providence, thanks to a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The grant has allowed a study of a novel combination treatment of metastatic melanoma.
“Over the last 20 years, there have been many advances in cancer research,” Dr. Curti said. “It has been a privilege for me to participate in some of this work and a pleasure to know many courageous patients who contributed to the research by volunteering to receive new medicines to fight their cancer.”
The Melanoma seminar is free but pre-registration is appreciated. Nurses and allied health professionals will be awarded 1.5 CE contact hours. Pre-register by Monday, April 21 by calling the Cooperative Extension Service at 505.662.2656 or register online at http://www.losalamoscounciloncancer.org. For more information, contact Paula Roybal Sanchez at 505.662.2656.
