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This event was video taped. Watch it here. The U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center and the non-profit Friends of Cancer Research hosted this event.

Stopping Cancer Before it Starts

Virtually every major cancer is far easier to cure when found at an early stage, making early detection crucial

Even more important then early detection is finding a way to prevent cancer before it develops.

"Cancer is a biological process that starts in the body years or even decades before a diagnosis is made. The ability to detect that process early or stop it altogether represents our greatest hope for significantly reducing or eliminating the suffering and death due to cancer," says Max Wicha, M.D., (shown at left) Distinguished Professor of Oncology and director of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The future of cancer prevention and early detection is happening right now in our nation's leading cancer centers like University of Michigan. However, without collaboration from across disciplines - from policy to technology - the promising future of cannot be fully realized.

Researchers are looking at how drugs, foods and nutrients interact with cells to slow or prevent the growth of cancer, as well as identifying genes and proteins that may be used to detect cancer early or even predict a person's future risk of cancer. Drugs or nutritional interventions can then be developed to target these genes or markers.

But what does this progress mean to the average person who has never been told "You have cancer"? And what barriers do we face in pursuing these new advances?

This townhall event provided an interactive and in-depth look at promising areas in prevention and early detection from an expert panel of our nation's leaders in various fields connected to cancer research.

The Panel:

Moderated by Susan Dentzer of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS

Opening Remarks: Marlene Malek, President, Friends of Cancer Research
Closing Remarks: Ellen Sigal, PhD, Chair & Founder, Friends of Cancer Research

The Honorable John Dingell U.S. Representative, Michigan		Max Wicha, M.D. Director U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center
Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D. Comissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Former Director, National Cancer Institute John Niederhuber, M.D. Director, National Cancer Institute		Stephen Gruber, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Human Genetics and Internal Medicine, U-M Medical School Associate Professor of Epidemiology, U-M School of Public Health
Joseph D. Purvis, M.D. Executive Director, Clinical Research, Oncology AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals		Dean Brenner, M.D. Professor of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology, U-M Medical School

This event was video taped. Watch it here.

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See Also:

• Early Detection/Prevention web page
  
  
• Free Throat Cancer Screening

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University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
1500 East Medical Center Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

This site is part of the U-M Health System. The information presented is not a tool for self diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. © 2008 U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center