On October 19th, 2015, TargetCancer Foundation hosted The Think Tank on Advancing Esophageal Cancer Research in Boston, MA, organized by Adam Bass, M.D. of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Anil Rustgi, M.D. of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. This innovative one-day meeting united an international group of over 30 researchers and clinicians towards the goal of accelerating the identification of effective treatments for esophageal cancer.
The meeting featured short presentations followed by extended discussion with the goal of generating informal discussion, sharing of unpublished research, and facilitating ideas for collaboration.
“In the study of esophageal cancer we have a lot of ground to catch up on. By bringing together a number of different investigators we hope to spark new collaborations and share ideas that can help move the field forward much more quickly.” -Adam Bass, M.D.
In 2015 it is estimated that there will be 16,980 new cases of esophageal cancer and an estimated 15,590 people will die of this rare disease. Although esophageal cancer is among the fastest growing cancers in America, there is currently a lack of treatments and focused research for this deadly disease.
The Think Tank on Advancing Esophageal Cancer Research is the second Think Tank initiative of TargetCancer Foundation. The first Think Tank, held in November 2012, focused on cholangiocarcinoma research. These unique opportunities for informal collaboration and brainstorming among colleagues from different disciplines have led to experiments and projects that would not have happened otherwise.