Internationally Renowned Rectal Cancer Experts Plot the Course of
Future Treatments at Lankenau Hospital Conference

WYNNEWOOD, Pa., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- An international symposium
to
discuss treatment options for rectal cancer, the third most common
cancer in
the United States, will be held at Lankenau Hospital on December 9
and 10.
Specialists in the field of rectal cancer will travel from 25 medical
centers
across four continents to share information on ways to help more
patients live
without colostomies. The Rectal Cancer Consensus Conference is
hosted by
Lankenau's new Walter and Leonore Annenberg Conference Center for
Medical
Education.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. and
the most
common internal cancer affecting people in eastern Pennsylvania. The
American
Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 106,370 new cases
of colon
cancer and 40,570 new cases of rectal cancer in 2004 in the United
States.
Combined, they will cause about 56,730 deaths.
The physicians, some from as far away as Italy, Brazil, China and
Israel,
have been drawn to the Philadelphia area to plot the course of future
treatment of rectal cancer using minimally invasive techniques, and
to honor
the work of Dr. Gerald Marks of Lankenau Hospital. Dr. Marks, a
leader in the
field of rectal cancer management, pioneered surgical methods to
avoid the
need for a colostomy in patients with rectal cancer. His medical
achievements
over 50 years include developing the International Network of
Comprehensive
Rectal Cancer Centers, a consortium of prestigious medical centers
around the
world, including locations in Italy, Brazil, Israel and China, among
others.
"By sharing and exploring new therapies and surgical techniques,
we
further our goals of preserving normal function in our patients and
avoiding
the need for permanent colostomies," said John H. Marks, M.D., Chief
of
Colorectal Surgery, Main Line Health, and Senior Investigator Lankenau
Institute for Medical Research. "These techniques have given
thousands of
people a better quality of life and a much brighter future."
The conference kicks off Thursday, December 9 at 6:00 p.m. with
the "First
Annual Gerald J. Marks, M.D., Rectal Cancer Lectureship" with keynote
speaker
Mohammad Mohuiddin, M.D., Professor and Chairman, Department of
Radiation
Oncology, University of Kentucky.

A vital community resource since 1860, Lankenau Hospital is a 351-
bed
acute-care teaching hospital and founding member of Main Line Health.



SOURCE Main Line Health