The 2009 American College of Radiation Oncology annual
conference was held February 26 through February 28, 2009 in
Las Vegas. The conference was a complete success with
excellent attendance and a variety of learning opportunities
for radiation oncologists that stressed practical aspects of
radiation oncology.
Here is a summary of the conference topics. A full report
of the conference can be found in the Spring issue of the ACRO Bulletin:
Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Image-Guided Radiation
Treatment
-Arno Mundt, M.D., gave us an excellent discussion on
IGRT in gynecologic malignancies, including current use and
future directions.
-Bill Salter, PhD, discussed stereotactic body
radiosurgery of primary lung and liver tumors.
-Shiyu Song, MD, presented data on stereotactic body
radiation treatment for primary metastatic hepatic
malignancies.
-Dwight Heron, MD, gave us a didactic on SBRT for head
and neck tumors, current uses and future uses.
-Minesh Mehta, MD, discussed about primary management of
brain tumors.
Brachytherapy
-D. Jeffrey Demanes, MD, discussed the general benefits
of brachytherapy for practicing radiation oncologists.
-Robert Kuske, MD, provided updated breast brachytherapy
and partial breast irradiation data.
Socioeconomic and Political Issues Affecting Daily
Practice
-Andrew Woods, JD, discussed the presidential election
and congressional impact on radiation oncology and
healthcare change.
-Michael Steinberg, MD, talked about the CPT process and
RUC review committee with potential coding changes in the
future.
-Andre Konski, MD, discussed the economic impact of
emerging technologies.
-Patricia Talone, RSM, PhD, lectured on ethical
implications impacting radiation oncology practices today.
-Ron DiGiamo, MBA, of Revenue Cycle, Inc., gave us a talk
on billing and coding problems that was, as always,
excellent.
-Subir Nag, MD, gave us a talk on electronic
brachytherapy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulation.
-Paul Wallner, DO, outlined the activities of the ACRO
Economics Committee.
-Greg Cotter, MD, discussed practice accreditation with
current status and the future implications for insurers.
Physics and Treatment Planning
-Spring Kong, MD, gave us an excellent discussion of
PET/CT imaging and radiation treatment planning.
-Steven Howard, MD, provided data on dose rate issues in
radiation oncology.
-James Welsh, MD, gave us a breakfast overview of helio
tomotherapy with future directions and current status.
Genetics and Quality of Life
-Jondavid Pollock, MD, discussed BRCA-1 and BRCA-2, the
breast cancer genes and genetic implications.
-David Gius, MD, PhD, spoke on aging and cancer, and
genetics.
-Jeffrey Michalski, MD, reviewed quality of life
following surgery or radiation
treatment for prostate cancer
patients.
The gold medal was awarded to James Rubenstein, MD, FACRO.
We are all pleased at Jim's accomplishment and contributions
to our field over the years.
Carlos Perez, MD, gave the inaugural annual Luther W. Brady
Lecture that honors Dr. Brady's contributions to our field
over more than 50 years.
The next annual meeting of the American College of
Radiation Oncology will be held in Orlando, February 25 to 27,
2010. Please place this on your calender. As always, it will
be an excellent educational event.
Thank you,
Paul J. Schilling, MD, FACRO
Community Cancer Center of
North Florida
Gainesville, Florida
