Newman Dinner Fundraiser
April 8th, 2014
The Centre for Colorectal Disease at St Vincent's Hospital was established to ensure integration of medical and surgical treatment, education and research relating to diseases of the colon and rectum - the large bowel - at St Vincent's University, St Michael's and St Vincent's Private Hospitals.
The Centre brings together the collective expertise of gastroenterologists, colorectal surgeons, radiologists, oncologists, pathologists, specialist nurses and dieticians to provide multidisciplinary care for patients supported by nursing and administrative staff.
The annual International meeting provides a forum to share the Centre's clinical and research experience with doctors, nurses, dieticians, scientists and students. The 18th meeting was held on 9th September with the theme 'Old problems - New solutions'. The title reflects the difficulties of and recent advances in the treatment of colorectal cancer at the two ends of the clinical spectrum: early disease in which minimal surgical techniques may be used to avoid major operations and advanced disease in which more radical surgery may achieve long term survival and even cure when it might not previously have been possible.
Each year notable international speakers are invited and the list includes some of the world's most highly regarded clinicians involved in colorectal diseases. This year Dr Nick West, a pathologist from Leeds in UK, spoke on how detailed assessment of tissues removed at the time of surgery can be used to predict cancer outcome and also act as a measure of quality assurance. Mr Jurgen Mulsow, just returned from a fellowship at the University of Erlangen, Germany, described ultra radical surgical techniques used in Erlangen to treat colon cancer, while Mr Dara Kavanagh, spoke on the St Vincent's experience in introducing more radical surgery for patients with advanced rectal cancer.
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