Cancer as a Chronic Disease: The Past, the Present and the Future of Cancer Research

There are over 20 million cancer survivors alive in the world today. Most of these people have been treated for earlier stage cancers with various combinations of therapies, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, and most of them will never experience a recurrence of their disease.

A growing number of cancer survivors are living with advanced or metastatic cancers. These patients are unlikely, or unable by current therapies, to be cured of their disease. Yet, like diabetes or chronic renal disease, they increasingly have a chronic condition that can be well managed for prolonged periods of time.

This live webinar, conducted by one of the US’s foremost cancer researchers, Dr Lee Schwartzberg, of the West Cancer Centre and Scientific Leader at George Clinical, will discuss cancer as a chronic disease and how researching cancer under this new archetype is adjusting the way in which clinical oncology trials are conducted and how cancer patients are treated.

 Dr. Schwartzberg will touch on three fundamental points in the treatment and research of cancer as a chronic disease:

• The traditional models of care and research
• Clinical research of cancer as a chronic disease
• Oncology research in emerging markets

 By focussing on emerging markets, Dr. Schwartzberg will draw on his research experience in the USA and compare it to the research opportunities he’s identified in the Asia-Pacific region. In this emerging market, cancer rates are increasing, largely as a result of the growing middle class, the control of other causes of early mortality such as infection, and adoption of a western lifestyle.

 Dr. Schwartzberg will highlight how currently, Australia, for example, has a very high rate/population of cancer incidence when compared to Western Europe and North America. China and Southeast Asia have moderate incidences, roughly half of that of Australia, but in light of the large population, the absolute number of cancer patients is tremendous at approximately three million cases and 2.2 million deaths per year. India has one million cases and 700,000 deaths per year.

 With cancer research drawing greater value from their treatment of cancer as a chronic disease and increasing instances of cancer in emerging markets such as the Asia-Pacific, this webinar is not to be missed and would be informative for sponsors interested in discovering the latest advances in cancer research in both traditional and emerging markets.

 Dr. Schwartzberg will discuss:

• The emergence of cancer as a chronic disease
• How cancer as a chronic disease impacts the future of oncology trials
• Cancer in emerging markets
• The role of scientific leadership in cancer trials

Speaker

Professor Lee Schwartzberg MD, FACP Scientific Leader, George Clinical Executive Director, West Cancer Center Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Medical Director, West Clinic

Lee S. Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, is a scientific leader at George Clinical, a leading CRO with operations throughout the Asia-Pacific and the USA. Professor Schwartzberg is also the Executive Director of the West Cancer Center in Memphis, TN. He is  Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Dr. Schwartzberg was the founding editor-in-chief of the journal Community Oncology and currently serves as the editor-in-chief of the Practice Update Oncology website. He serves on the editorial board of both the Journal of Supportive Oncology and The ASCO Post, in addition to serving as a reviewer for many prominent medical journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Schwartzberg is also a member of the Board of Directors for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

His major research interests are new therapeutic approaches to breast cancer, targeted therapy,supportive care and patient reported outcomes. He has published more than 200 research papers during his oncology career. Dr. Schwartzberg is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology. He maintains a practice in medical oncology focusing on breast cancer.

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