The 23rd Congress of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO)

Press Conference: Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tuesday 26th October 2004, 12.30 Central European Time

From 24-28 October 2004 the 23rd International Congress of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) will be held in the RAI Congress Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. More than 3,000 participants from around the world are expected to attend this bi-annual meeting of the ESTRO.

It is our pleasure to invite you to attend the official Press Conference at 12:30CET on Tuesday 26 October. The Press Conference will take place in the "L Room" in the conference centre of the RAI.

Press Conference: New findings in prostate, breast and head and neck cancer:

Professor Michael Brada and Professor Harry Bartelink will, together with other European radiotherapy experts, present a summary of the latest developments and research results in the field of radiotherapy. The focus will be on the increase in cure rates with reduced side effects for a range of tumour types.

The Press Conference will include presentations of:

A breast cancer study of more than 5,000 patients, which showed that a more precise and higher treatment dose decreases, by approximately 20%, the chance of breast cancer returning in women who have undergone breast saving treatment. A very high survival rate of 85% after 8 years is demonstrated.
New results that will dramatically improve the treatment of prostate cancer. The results of a major European trial demonstrate that radiotherapy given after surgical removal of the prostate substantially improves survival will be presented.
The remarkable results from a European-American study in patients with head and neck cancer. A new drug, Cetuximab (an antibody against a receptor on cell membranes), when given concomitantly with radiotherapy leads to a 13% higher survival rate after 3 years. With this trial the proof of principle is established and demonstrates that the use of "smart drugs" will lead to improvements in cure rates. The design of such smart drugs is based upon an investigation of mechanisms leading to uncontrolled cell growth in the cancer process.

Presentation of the Breur Award and the Regaud Award

The prestigious Breur Award will be given to Prof dr. Marcel van Herk from the Netherlands Cancer Institute for his contribution to imaged guided radiotherapy. Professor Jean-Pierre Gerard from the Centre Antoine Lacassagne in Nice will receive the Regaud Award for his contribution to the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Information

Muriel Hallet, Events and Industry Relations Manager, ESTRO, Brussels, Tel: 32-2-775-9347, On-site telephone: 32-486-50-5860, E-mail: muriel.hallet@estro.be

Prof. dr. Harry Bartelink, The Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, Tel: 020 512 2120 / 512 2122

www.estro.be

All press releases will be available as of Tuesday 26 October in the Press Room of the website of the Federation of European Cancer Societies: http://www.fecs.be

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