Posted on September 12, 2012
The 11th International Mesothelioma Interest Group (iMig) conference has just begun in Boston! Since the first iMig conference in Paris in 1991, global experts have gathered every two years at the conference to work towards preventing, curing and raising awareness about mesothelioma. This three-day conference is truly impressive, with more than 500 delegates from around the world.
This year’s conference organizers, Drs. Raphael Bueno and David Sugarbaker, intend to build upon the success of previous iMig conferences. The conference will feature workshops, debates, poster sessions and breakout symposia on topics such as immunology, immunotherapy, imaging, pathology and surgical pitfalls and challenges.
This morning, ADAO Science Advisory Board Member Dr. Michael Harbut reconfirmed the need to prevent asbestos exposure and to diagnose patients earlier to improve survival and quality of life.
Presently, the only two ways to end asbestos-caused diseases are prevention and a cure. More than 107,000 people die each year from preventable asbestos-caused diseases. Every year in the United States, an estimated 2,500 people die from mesothelioma and another 7,500 die from asbestos cancers and respiratory diseases. Worse yet, asbestos is still legal and lethal in the U.S.
iMig attendees embrace hope, innovation, and collaboration as we share knowledge and strengthen bonds to improve mesothelioma treatment and advance research for a cure.
Cathy’s 6-word message to iMig says it all: “Champions for victims of asbestos diseases.”
In unity,
Linda