Note To Reporters and Editors: AIDS Malignancy Conference Convenes at NIH

Experts from around the world will convene at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), April 28-30, 1997, to present recent findings and current studies on AIDS related cancers, including Kaposi's sarcoma, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, anal and cervical cancers, and pediatric cancers. The National AIDS Malignancy Conference is the first major meeting sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to focus entirely on the spectrum of AIDS related malignancies.

The conference comes at a time when malignancies are emerging as an epidemic within the larger AIDS epidemic. It has been estimated that about 40 percent of all AIDS patients may eventually develop cancer.

Studies in this area have expanded over the past few years, and some have now begun to uncover the viral, genetic, and biochemical mechanisms that underlie these malignancies. A number of studies are also exploring new treatments.

Conference topics include:

The recently discovered human herpes virus 8/Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus and its relationship to Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphoma. The human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer in women and anal cancer in men with HIV infection. The influence of cytokines and growth factors on the course of AIDS related malignancies. The role of angiogenesis in Kaposi's sarcoma. Experimental treatments for AIDS related malignancies including new chemotherapy agents, immune-based therapy, and pilot studies of gene therapy. Pediatric cancers and AIDS.

The meeting will take place at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md. To register, please call (301) 907-3844. A preliminary agenda and registration form is available on the World Wide Web at http://ctep.info.nih.gov (select AIDS Oncology Resources). Beginning April 21, the final agenda will be available at the web site above and at http://www.healthcg.com/NCIconference.

Daily online summaries of conference presentations and searchable abstracts, co-produced by the NCI and Healthcare Communications Group, LLC, will be accessible at the healthcg website. Abstracts will be available April 28; next-morning, online coverage will begin April 29.

For more information on the conference, call the NCI press office at (301) 496-6641.