WHO: Opening Remarks: Robert Comis, M.D., President and Chairman, Coalition of National Cancer Cooperative Groups.

Moderator: Alexis Gelber, Director of Special Projects, Newsweek.

Multi-disciplinary Panel:
Nancy Davenport-Ennis, President, Chief Executive Officer of the National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF).

Alan Keller, M.D., Research Chairman, Cancer Care Associates, Tulsa Oklahoma.

Mark McClellan, M.D., Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Larry Norton, M.D., Deputy Physician-in-Chief, Director of Breast Cancer Programs, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York.

Debra Rosenberg, Deputy Washington Bureau Chief and National Correspondent, Newsweek.

WHY: Providing quality cancer care is important to securing optimal outcomes for patients. Cancer clinical trials can provide the highest quality care for cancer patients, but adult participation remains extremely low, at an estimated three to five percent of all patients. Access to quality cancer care, including that provided through clinical trials, is a significant issue for poor and medically underserved populations. These patients have higher risks of developing cancer and less chance of early diagnosis, optimal treatment and survival. The five-year survival rate for people who live in affluent areas is 10 percent higher than for people who live in poorer areas of the country. These gaps are expected to continue to rise in the United States.

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Contact: Jennifer Mallory
jennifer.mallory@edelman.com
312-552-1163
Edelman Public Relations
15-Jun-2004