NEW DIRECTIONS IN THYROID CANCER RESEARCH AND TREATMENT

描述(由申请者提供)：“甲状腺癌研究和治疗新方向”系列教育项目的长期目标是为基础和临床科学家提供对甲状腺癌生物学和临床护理方面的重要进展的了解。有几个原因表明，这门学科的重点教育活动是及时和必要的。2007年，美国将有大约3万例新的甲状腺癌病例。人们可能会认为这种恶性肿瘤是一种罕见的疾病，然而，由于未知的原因，甲状腺癌的发病率增长速度比其他任何实体肿瘤都要快。最重要的是，在过去的二十年里，导致主要组织学类型甲状腺癌的突变或染色体重排已经被确定。这些以及在其他实体肿瘤中的类似发现，刺激了制药业开发针对基因突变或由突变激活的代谢途径的治疗剂。一些针对甲状腺癌的靶向治疗已经在临床前研究中显示出活性，甚至在早期临床试验中也是如此。这些新疗法对局部晚期或转移性甲状腺癌患者有很大的前景。此外，这些疗法代表了“个性化基因组医学”的一个典型例子。目前，没有任何协会或协会将开发和提供甲状腺癌教育项目作为其主要任务。两年前，一群对甲状腺癌有重大兴趣的坚定的基础科学家和临床医生认识到在甲状腺癌方面需要广泛的教育计划，成立了国际甲状腺肿瘤学小组(ITOG)。ITOG行政部门总部设在华盛顿大学，其主要使命和这笔赠款的具体目的有两个：提供教育项目，这将激发甲状腺癌研究的新想法，并为临床医生提供必要的临床研究技能，为他们的患者提供最佳护理。重点是确保教育项目以甲状腺癌最相关的基础和临床科学主题为基础，并确保选定的演讲者是各自领域的专家。教育计划将包括：说教讲座、小组讨论和海报会议。教育项目将向基础科学家、临床医生、博士后实习生和患者权益倡导者开放。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term objective of the series of educational programs, "New Directions in Thyroid Cancer Research and Treatment", is to provide basic and clinical scientists, with an understanding of important advances in thyroid cancer biology and clinical care. There are several reasons why a focused educational initiative of this subject is timely and needed. There will be approximately 30,000 new cases of thyroid cancer in the United States in 2007. One might consider this malignancy a rare disease, however, for unknown reasons the incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing at a rate more rapid than that of any other solid tumor. Most importantly, over the last two decades, the mutations, or chromosomal rearrangements causing the major histological types of thyroid cancer have been identified. These and similar discoveries in other solid tumors, have stimulated the pharmaceutical industry to develop therapeutic agents, which target either the genetic mutation, or the metabolic pathway activated by the mutation. Some targeted therapies for thyroid cancer have already shown activity in preclinical studies, and even in early clinical trials. These new therapies have great promise for patients with locally advanced or metastatic thyroid cancer. Moreover, these therapies represent a prime example of "personalized genomic medicine". Currently no society or association has as its primary mission the development and offering of educational programs in thyroid cancer. Two years ago, recognizing the need for broad based educational programs in thyroid cancer, a group of committed basic scientists and clinicians with a major interest in thyroid cancer, formed the International Thyroid Oncology Group (ITOG). The ITOG administration is based at Washington University and its primary mission, and the specific aim of this grant, is twofold: to provide educational programs, which will stimulate new ideas for research in thyroid cancer and to provide clinicians with the clinical research skills, necessary to provide the best care for their patients. Great emphasis will be placed on assuring that the educational programs are based on the most relevant basic and clinical science topics in thyroid cancer and that the selected speakers are experts in their field. The educational programs will include: didactic lectures, group discussions, and poster sessions. The educational programs will be open to basic scientists, clinicians, postdoctoral trainees and patient advocates.