Be aware! The Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation joins mesothelioma organizations around the world today to mark Mesothelioma Awareness day on this September 26th. Far too many have been exposed to asbestos and later developed this devastating cancer. And far too many continue to be exposed to asbestos. The CMF continues to raise awareness of the dangers of exposure to asbestos.
In November 2012, the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) Mesothelioma Research Program hosted a 2 day visit by Dr. Keith Cengel, a specialist in radiation oncology and photodynamic therapy (PDT) from the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. Dr. Cengel gave two lectures, the first on emerging technologies for image guided radiotherapy followed by a second on photodynamic therapy for mesothelioma and other thoracic diseases. Photodynamic therapy is a promising new treatment for mesothelioma patients that uses light energy to kill cancer cells. Dr Cengel and other researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania have shown that when used in combination with lung-sparing surgery, survival rates of patients with pleural mesothelioma are significantly improved, sometimes more than two years.
The objective of Dr. Cengel's visit was to give the PMH mesothelioma research team an overview of his research and the results of PDT in mesothelioma. Both lectures were well attended by surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists and physicists from Toronto General Hospital and Princess Margaret Cancer Center. As a result of this visit, the University Health Network (UHN) Mesothelioma Research Program is planning to start photodynamic therapy in selected patients with mesothelioma and, as well, will develop collaborative work with the research team in Philadelphia.
Dr. Cengel's visit was made possible by the CMF's Education and Training Fund. This special educational grant was given to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation in Toronto in 2011 and in 2012 to the UHN by the CMF for their Mesothelioma Research Program. The Fund was established to expand the educational mandate of their Program. Learn more about the CMF fund here.
Presentations from the September 27th 2012 Asbestos Diseases Symposium held in Toronto, Ontario are now available! Please see web address below for the presentation given by Dr. Marc de Perrot of the University Health Network, and the attached files for presentations given by Dr. Eudice Goldberg of the Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation, Dr. Linn Holness, Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease and Paul Demers, PhD, Cancer Care Ontario.
https://fileportal.uhn.ca/download.aspx?ID=c4791e8f-dbd6-4121-9baf-9ac1…
Please join us June 10, 2012 for the Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation's (CMF) second annual volleyball fundraiser. If you like fun people, free entertainment, great food and beach volleyball why not register a team and support this great cause! To register and for more information, please check out the Spike 2012 website.
Please join us January 7th for our 3rd Annual Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation Benefit Concert!
Details are as follows:
Gladstone Hotel, North Ballroom
1214 Queen St. West, Toronto
Saturday, January 7th, 2012
7:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Please join us June 19 2011 for our first annual volleyball tournament fundraiser! Registration is now open on our new event website. To register your team, or to donate to the CMF on your favourite team’s behalf, please go to www.cmfonline.org/spike . Don’t hesitate to contact us for further information at spike.cmf@gmail.com . Hope to see you there!!
