Commission on Cancer Meetings, October 10-11, 2004 held in conjunction with ACS meeting, New Orleans, LA


From: Dr. Mathew H. Chung, Hawaii State Chair, Cancer Liaison Program

I am honored, as State Chairman of the Cancer Liaison Program, to have attended the Commission on Cancer (CoC) meetings last week in New Orleans. It was a very nice meeting.
I will attempt to briefly summarize the highlights of the meeting:

In the ACS Commission on Cancer Annual Meeting (10/10/04), chaired by Dr. Alfred Cohen, the following topics were discussed:

1. This year’s Keynote Address titled “Obesity and Cancer: State of the Evidence” was given by Michael Thun, MD, MS, Vice-President of Epidemiology and Surveillance Research, American Cancer Society.
1. Obesity is an epidemic in the US and other civilized countries.
2. There appears to be a strong correlation between obesity and several cancers, including breast, colon, liver, esophagus, etc..
3. There is a linear relationship between rising BMI and cancer mortality.
4. Research in this area (i.e. obesity and cancer) is ripe for further research.

2. A review of this year’s accomplishments were discussed by Dr. Cohen. CoC achieved a great deal and continue to strive to do so.

3. Dr. Frederick Greene has been elected to be our next Chair, CoC.

4. National Cancer Fighter Awards Trust Presentations.
1. Dr. Philip Di Saia received National Cancer Fighter 2004 award.
2. Dr. Oliver Beahrs received Lifetime Acheivement Award 2004.

5. 2005 Meeting Dates and Sites:
1. CoC Committee Meetings - May 2005 (exact dates TBD).
2. CoC Annual Meeting - October 16, 2005, San Francisco, CA.

On Monday, 10/11/04, the CoC Cancer Liaison Program Breakfast Meeting was conducted by Dr. A. Marilyn Leitch, Chair of the Cancer Liaison Program. Items discussed were:

1. State of Cancer Liaison Program.
1. Again, the new standards for CoC programs instituted in 2004 were reviewed briefly – should make hospital/site visits and preparation for that much easier.
2. The role of CLP as the Community Outreach Coordinator was again stressed.

2. Integrating CLPs into the State Cancer Plan Effort.
1. Most states are working on developing a state-wide comprehensive cancer control plan, including Hawaii. All plans can be reviewed on the website.

3. The Survey Application Record (SAR) and CLP Activity Report.
1. Most states are working on developing a state-wide comprehensive cancer control plan, including Hawaii. All plans can be reviewed on the website.

4. The CLP as Community Outreach Coordinator.
1. New initiative by CoC.
2. Get involved in your community – easiest route may be to get involved with your local American Cancer Society.

5. The CLP’s Role in the CoC Stage III Colon Cancer Quality Initiative.
1. The care of stage III colon CA patients in the U.S. is highly variable. In order to provide high quality care to our patients, you can view your hospital’s performance (and compare to others in the nation) using the NCDB database.

6. Next Meeting Date and Site:
1. October 17, 2005, San Francisco, CA.
2. If you plan to attend the October 2005 ACS meeting AND you are a CLP, I would highly recommend that you attend this meeting.

As previously mentioned, please review the new standards if you haven’t already done so. It should make our future site reviews much easier.

Regarding CoC/CLP issues in Hawaii:

1. Maui Memorial Medical Center’s Cancer Care Committee has decided to withdraw from the CoC Approvals Program based on the fact that the “resources” at that center was less than ideal.
2. If your program is in jeopardy (or you have some concerns otherwise), please feel free to contact me.
3. We will plan to have another CLP meeting at the Spring ACS Hawaii Chapter Meeting – more to follow.

In closing, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to serve as the Hawaii State Chair for the Commission on Cancer, Cancer Liaison Program. If you have any questions/concerns regarding your roles as CLP or about the new standards, please feel free to contact me. M. Chung