[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 62 (Monday, April 1, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 15406]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-7815]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
State-of-the-Science Conference on Symptom Management in Cancer:
Pain, Depression, and Fatigue
Notice is hereby given of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
State-of-the-Science Conference on ``Symptom Management in Cancer:
Pain, Depression, and Fatigue'' to be held July 15-17, 2002, in the NIH
Natcher Conference Center, 45 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
The conference will begin at 8 a.m. on July 15 and 16, and at 9 a.m. on
July 17 and will be open to the public.
While research is producing increasingly hopeful insights into the
causes and cures of cancer, efforts to manage the side effects of the
disease and its treatments have not kept pace. Evidence suggests that
pain, for example, is frequently under-treated in the oncology setting.
In the past three decades, scientific discoveries have transformed
cancer from a usually fatal disorder to a curable illness for some and
a chronic disease for many more. With this shift has come a growing
optimism about the future, but also a growing appreciation of the human
costs of cancer care. As patients live longer with cancer, concern is
growing about both the health-related quality of life of those
diagnosed with cancer and the quality of care they receive. The
challenge that faces us is how to increase awareness about the
importance of recognizing and actively addressing cancer-related
distress when it occurs. Specifically, we need to be able to identify
who is at risk for cancer-related pain, depression, and/or fatigue;
what treatments work best to address these symptoms when they occur;
and how best to deliver interventions across the continuum of care.
This two-and-a-half-day conference will examine the current state
of knowledge regarding the management of pain, depression and fatigue
in individuals with cancer and identify directions for future research.
During the first day-and-a-half of the conference, experts will
present the latest research findings on cancer symptom management to an
independent non-Federal panel. After weighing all of the scientific
evidence, the panel will draft a statement, addressing the following
key questions:
What is the occurrence of pain, depression, and fatigue,
alone and in combination, in people with cancer?
What are the methods used for clinical assessment of these
symptoms throughout the course of cancer, and what is the evidence for
their reliability and validity in cancer patients?
What are the treatments for cancer-related pain,
depression, and fatigue, and what is the evidence for their
effectiveness?
What are the impediments to effective symptom management
in people diagnosed with cancer, and what are optimal strategies to
overcome these impediments?
What are the directions for future research?
On the final day of the conference, the panel chairperson will read
the draft statement to the conference audience and invite comments and
questions. A press conference will follow, to allow the panel and
chairperson to respond to questions from the media.
The primary sponsors of this meeting are the National Cancer
Institute and the NIH Office of Medical Applications of Research. Co-
sponsors of the meeting are: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of
Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH), the National Institute of Nursing Research
(NINR), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
(NINDS), and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine (NCCAM).
Advance information about the conference and conference
registration materials may be obtained from AIR Prospect Center of
Silver Spring, Maryland, by calling 301-592-3320 or by sending e-mail
to [email protected]>. AIR Prospect Center's address is
10720 Columbia Pike, Suite 500, Silver Spring, Maryland 20901-4437. A
conference agenda and registration information are also available on
the NIH Consensus Program Web site at http://consensus.nih.gov>.
Please Note: The NIH has recently instituted new security
measures to ensure the safety of NIH employees and property. All
visitors must be prepared to show a photo ID upon request. Visitors
may be required to pass through a metal detector and have bags,
backpacks, or purses inspected or x-rayed as they enter NIH
buildings. Conference attendees may want to leave extra bags or
personal materials at their hotel to minimize the time needed for
inspection. For more information about the new security measures at
NIH, please visit the Web site at http://www.nih.gov/about/visitorssecurity.htm>.
Dated: March 25, 2002.
Ruth L. Kirschstein,
Acting Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 02-7815 Filed 3-29-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P