Information For
- Attendees
- Exhibitors
- Nurses
- Social Workers
- Speakers
Pre-Conference Events
- NEW THIS YEAR!
An Evening for Couples Coping with Cancer
- Women with Stage IV Breast Cancer
VCC Walking Tour
- VCC Walking Tour
Survive & Thrive Profiles
- Survive & Thrive Profiles
Share Your Story
- Share Your Story
Links
- Vermont Cancer Center
- University of Vermont
- Fletcher Allen Health Care
- VT/NH Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
- Ladies First
- American Cancer Society
Contact Us
Questions about this year's conference? Call 802-656-2292.
Accessibility for People with Disabilities
While the Breast Cancer Conference is accessible to people with disabilities, please note that there are significant distances between some of the sessions at the event. We regret that we are unable to provide assistants to help individuals travel throughout the premises. You are welcome, however, to have someone of your choosing accompany you in this capacity to the conference and ask only that your assistant register for the event as well.
Conference Disclaimer
Regarding written materials and information received, written or otherwise, during the Vermont Cancer Center Breast Cancer Conference and regarding information that may be displayed or distributed from conference exhibitors: The scientific views, statements and recommendations expressed during this program represent those of the speakers and exhibitors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Vermont Cancer Center, the University of Vermont or Fletcher Allen Health Care.
Vermont Cancer Center Research & Patient Care Facilities Walking Tour
Please join us for a behind-the-scenes walking tour of the Vermont Cancer Center's care facilities and research laboratories. This is a special opportunity to see and hear about the cutting-edge research and care being carried out at the Vermont Cancer Center, which spans from the University of Vermont College of Medicine research facilities to Fletcher Allen's clinics.
Please join host Jim Wallace, MD, director of Radiation Oncology, and radiologist Robert Oppenheimer, MD, for a tour of the Breast Care Center and a portion of the Radiation Oncology patient care area at Fletcher Allen Health Care.
The tour of the Breast Care Center will include diagnostic and treatment areas. The focus of the Radiation Oncology tour will be a treatment planning simulation and a demonstration of image guided radiation therapy.
Participants will also tour the Vermont Cancer Center's research facilities at the University of Vermont with hosts Tim Hunter, DNA and Microarray facility manager, and Scott Tighe, senior research technician, Flow Cytometry & Microarray core facility. This portion of the tour will focus on two technologies that are important in cancer research studies: Automated DNA sequencing and Microarray (GeneChip) analysis.
DNA sequencing is the technology that drove the early completion of the Human Genome Project. DNA microarray is a maturing technology that allows analysis of over 25,000 genes in humans simultaneously. These technologies, along with others, have the ability to change the way providers approach medicine.
Registration for tours is required and is available online or by calling (802) 656-2292. A free shuttle bus to the medical center will leave the Sheraton Conference Center entrance at 2:15 pm and return at approximately 4:15 pm. Space restrictions limit us to 24 persons for this tour, so sign up early.
About the Conference
This unique educational event (to take place on Friday, October 31, 2008) is designed to meet the broad needs of survivors, caregivers, health care professionals, and the general public concerned about complex issues related to breast health and women's health, and provide opportunities to network with other survivors, caregivers, nurses, physical therapists, psychologists, and cancer researchers.
Quick Facts
- The conference opens at 8:00 am with over 60 exhibits in the Exhibit Hall
- Sessions begin at 9:00 am and end at 4:00 PM
- The sessions and exhibits are free due to the generous support of The Vermont-New Hampshire Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Breast Cancer Facts
- Breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer among women.
- In Vermont, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women. Each year, in Vermont, approximately 482 breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women.
- While an estimated 40,460 women and 450 men will die from breast cancer in 2007, death rates from breast cancer have steadily declined over the past decade.
- Nearly 90% of women diagnosed with breast cancer will survive their disease at least 5 years.
- A woman's chance of developing breast cancer increases with age. In the United States, a woman has about a 13.2 percent, or 1 in 8, lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.
- Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among Vermont women. Each year in Vermont, approximately 96 women die from breast cancer.
- From 2000-2004, the median age at diagnosis for cancer of the breast was 61 years of age.
- Breast cancer incidence rates for women in Addison and Chittenden Counties are significantly higher than the U.S.
- Your best chance for surviving breast cancer is detecting it early. When found early, there is a 96% chance for cure.
- 95% of new cases and 98% of breast cancer deaths reported during 1996-2002 occurred in women ages 40 and older.
- Women in their 40s and older should have mammograms every 1 to 2 years. Women who are younger than 40 and have risk factors for breast cancer should ask their health care provider whether to have mammograms and how often to have them.
- For the first time in 20 years, there is a significant decline in the number of U.S. women over the age of 40 who get a regular mammogram to screen for breast cancer. According to a study by the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the overall rate at which women are having mammograms fell four percent between 2000 and 2005.
- Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) followed by local radiation therapy has replaced mastectomy as the preferred surgical approach for treating women with early stage breast cancer.
- In Vermont, 65% of breast cancers are diagnosed at the localized (early) stage.
- Approximately 5 to 10% of breast cancers are due to heredity. The majority of women with breast cancer have no known significant family history or other known risk factors.