FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Colin Parker, Fletcher Allen Health Care: 802-847-2886, collin.parker@vtmednet.org
Jennifer Nachbur, University of Vermont: 802-656-7875, jennifer.nachbur@uvm.edu
Heather Kenny, Vermont Cancer Center: 802-656-2088, heather.kenny@uvm.edu

BURLINGTON, VT – Approximately 480 women in Vermont are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, according to the Vermont Department of Health. Encouragingly, when breast cancer is detected early there is a 96 percent chance for cure. Yet in Vermont, only 65 percent of breast cancers are diagnosed at the early stage. Many are convinced this number could be higher, and more lives saved, if women had the important information, expertise and support they need about breast cancer screening, prevention, treatment and survivorship.

To move towards that goal, the Vermont Cancer Center at the University of Vermont and Fletcher Allen Health Care, with support from the Vermont-New Hampshire Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, will present the 10th Annual Breast Cancer Conference on Saturday, November 3, 2007 at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center. Registration and exhibits open at 8:00 am. 
 

The day-long Conference is free and open to the public, and features more than 30 speakers presenting over 80 educational sessions, including informal “coffee chats”, lectures, and workshops. In addition, more than 50 non-profit groups and corporations dedicated to breast cancer research, activism, and service will be exhibiting materials at the conference. A 10th Anniversary Luncheon Celebration at 12:00 noon features a special video tribute and keynote address by Conference Co-chair Hyman Muss, M.D, “Ten Years of Advances in Breast Cancer Treatment.”
 

“Living in a rural region like ours, women often face barriers to accessing the knowledge, as well as the ability, to take advantage of the newest diagnostics, screening recommendations and treatments,” says Dr. Muss, a medical oncologist at the Vermont Cancer Center at UVM and Fletcher Allen. “With the continual advances in the fight against breast cancer, there is a great need for a comprehensive educational event like the Conference that serves a large and diverse audience.”
 

Organized in 1997 as an event for survivors, friends, families, and health care professionals, the Conference has grown significantly, attracting nearly 600 attendees in 2006. Dr. Muss and Conference Co-chair Patti O’Brien, M.D., who have led the event since its inception, are passionate not only about fighting the disease in the laboratory and the clinic, but also about supporting the women, families and friends who are affected when the diagnosis is breast cancer. 
 

“Over the last decade, thousands of people in our community have come together in so many ways, making significant contributions to the fight against breast cancer,” says Dr. O’Brien, a lymphedema specialist at the Breast Care Center. “Individual acts of support and service, like comforting a friend, knitting a shawl, or racing for the cure, are touching lives and making a real difference. The Conference is a celebration of that dedication.”
 

The Conference hours are 8:00 am- 4:15 pm, and registration for the lectures, workshops, coffee chats and exhibits is free. Participants may attend for the day or just for an individual session. There is a $20 fee for the luncheon, and reservations are required. View the full schedule of events and register online at www.vtbreastcancerconference.org or call 802-656-5665.
 

About the Vermont Cancer Center

The Vermont Cancer Center at the University of Vermont and Fletcher Allen Health Care is one of only 39 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation. To earn this prestigious status, the Vermont Cancer Center must focus on the coordination and promotion of interdisciplinary approaches to cancer research, prevention, patient care, and community education, and make significant contributions to advances in cancer research that are key to understanding, preventing, and treating this disease. 

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