EVMS co-hosts conference
on neuroendocrine tumors
September 20, 2007
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Aaron Vinik, M.D., Ph.D. |
NORFOLK—Experts from around the world will converge on Norfolk
September 27-30 to discuss a relatively uncommon and
difficult-to-diagnose tumor of the neuroendocrine system.
Among the co-hosts of the 2007 annual North American
Carcinoid-NeuroEndocrine Conference is the NeuroEndocrine Unit at EVMS,
directed by Aaron Vinik, M.D., Ph.D., EVMS professor of internal
medicine and director of research at the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes
Institutes.
Vinik is widely sought after for his expertise in diagnosis and
treatment of neuroendocrine tumors (NETS) and a world-renowned expert in
diabetes. Nearly 500 NETS patients and physicians are expected, which
would make it the largest-ever such event in North America.
Although NETS are rare, there are more than 50,000 people living with
the small, slow-growing tumors in the U.S.; another 3,000-5,000 new
cases are diagnosed each year. This conference is unique in its joint
participation of both providers and patients, and a major objective of
the event is to improve the quality of life of the people who have the
tumors.
NETS secrete hormones, allowing the tumors to produce multiple symptoms
that mimic many other disease states and make them tricky to diagnose.
“Sophisticated diagnostic skills are required to separate the
masquerading ‘horses’ from the ‘zebras,’” Vinik said. “Insufficient
knowledge about the challenging disease complex may lead to an incorrect
clinical diagnosis, inappropriate therapy and fatal results. It is
imperative to educate physicians, health care providers and patients to
recognize the complexity of the disease and understand the choice of
therapies and options to improve quality of life.”
NETS form in the neuroendocrine system, which consists of cells that are
a cross between traditional endocrine, or hormone-producing, cells, and
nerve cells. Neuroendocrine cells are found throughout the body in
organs, such as the lungs and gastrointestinal tract, and perform
functions such as regulating the air and blood flow through the lungs
and controlling the speed at which food is moved through the
gastrointestinal tract.
The diversity of neuroendocrine cells in the body’s systems has driven
Vinik to establish links with a range of specialties, such as
endocrinology, oncology, nuclear medicine, cardiology, pulmonology, and
gastroenterology.
In addition to EVMS, other conference co-sponsors are the MidAtlantic
Carcinoid-Neuroendocrine Tumor Association, the North American Alliance
of Patients with NeuroEndocrine Tumors, the Carcinoid NeuroEndocrine
Tumors Society Canada and the Hampton Roads Carcinoid-NeuroEndocrine
Group.
Vinik and the following EVMS faculty members are participating in the
conference:
- Eric Feliberti, M.D., assistant
professor of surgery
- Nancy Fishback, M.D., professor
and chairman of pathology and anatomy
- Edward George, M.D., associate
professor of clinical internal medicine
- Leon-Paul Georges, M.D., professor
and chairman of internal medicine
- Antoinette Hood, M.D., professor
and chair of dermatology
- M. Elizabeth Mason, M.D.,
associate professor of medicine
- Gerald Pepe, Ph.D., dean and
provost
- Roger Perry, M.D., Robert L. Payne
Jr. professor of surgery
- Michael Ryan, M.D., associate
professor of gastroenterology
- Mark Sinesi, M.D., chairman of
radiation oncology and biophysics
- Harlan Vingan, M.D., associate
professor of radiology
- Etta Vinik, M.Ed., associate
director of education, Strelitz Diabetes Institutes
- Phyllis Woodson, M.S., R.D., CDE,
diabetes nutrition specialist
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