Posted on September 13, 2012
Today has been an exciting day, as the second round of seminars, discussions and panels continued at the 11th Annual 2012 International Mesothelioma Interest Group (iMig) Conference.
I began the day by attending two sessions, “Surgical Treatment” and “Surgery for Mesothelioma,” presented by Drs. David Sugarbaker, Raja Flores, David Rice, Kazunori Okabe, David Jablons, Paul Sugarbaker and several others. The presenters discussed the current status Linda Reinstein and Dr. Steven Markowitz at iMig of surgery for pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma and the pros and cons associated with the surgery and multi-modality adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy. The lively EPP, EPD, or no surgery debate continues. However, an inarguable fact is that mesothelioma patients need to seek treatment from a center of excellence that has both experience and a multidisciplinary team approach for treatment.
One of the most exciting topics discussed today was the advancement of new pharmaceutical drugs for mesothelioma, which are currently in clinical trials. This year, several new drug treatments have entered into advanced stages of clinical trials and are exhibiting extremely promising results. A particularly exciting advancement comes from the field of immunology, where several medical researchers have obtained positive results in the early trial stages.
A new feature of this year’s iMig conference is an onsite mobile application for the iPhone, iPad and Android. This app allows attendees, as well as anyone interested in the conference, to follow the daily events.
Tonight, the conference organizers are hosting “2012 iMig Night,” which provides an opportunity to meet and connect with the various attendees in a more relaxed setting. I am looking forward to engaging with these magnificent minds and sharing the inspiring stories of the people I have met throughout the years.
Impressive, brilliant, committed – iMig indeed carries the torch of hope for all. I have lots to share next week!
In unity,
Linda