NCCN 12th Annual Conference: Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology & Quality Cancer Care™ to Be Held March 14

JENKINTOWN, Pa., March 7, 2007 — Nearly 1,300 oncologists and cancer professionals have registered to attend the NCCN 12th Annual Conference: Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology & Quality Cancer Care™ taking place March 14 – 18, 2007 at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Florida. The program includes the presentation of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™, updates from the NCCN PET/CT Imaging Task Force Report, and information about new cancer therapies and emerging issues in oncology business management.

During the opening session of the conference, ABC News veteran and anchor Sam Donaldson will moderate the roundtable discussion “The Role of the Journalist in the War on Cancer,” which features top health reporters from television, national newspapers and the oncology trade press along with representatives from the oncology and patient advocacy communities. Panelists include:

Manny Alvarez, MD, Medical Correspondent for Fox News;
Catherine Arnst, Senior Writer, Science and Medicine for Business Week;
Robert Bazell, Chief Science and Health Correspondent for NBC News;
Nancy Davenport-Ennis, Chief Executive Officer for the National Patient Advocate Foundation;
Amy Dockser Marcus, Staff Reporter for The Wall Street Journal;
G. Timothy Johnson, MD, Medical Editor for ABC News (pending);
Caroline McNeil, Contributing Correspondent for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute; and
Robert C. Young, MD, President of Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Many of the conference sessions focus on new technologies and emerging trends in cancer care. This year’s agenda includes the presentations “Cancer Stem Cells: New Targets for Cancer Prevention and Therapy”; “New Technologies in Robotic Surgery”; and “Biomarkers: New Paradigms in Cancer Management and Challenges.” An additional roundtable entitled “Cancer Care: Cost, Access, and Value” will feature candid discussion by nationally recognized experts in the business, clinical and payor areas of oncology.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®), a not-for-profit alliance of 23 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives. For more information, visit NCCN.org.

The NCCN Member Institutions are:

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
Duke Cancer Institute
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center / Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Stanford Cancer Institute
University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Colorado Cancer Center
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center