The meeting opened with results of ongoing projects. Martha Linet, M.D., M.P.H., DCEG; Jenny Turner, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.P.A., St. Vincent’s Medical Centre, Australia(http://www.svhm.org.au/) ; and Lindsay Morton, Ph.D., DCEG, presented a new pathology classification scheme tailored to pooled analysis. Sophia Wang, Ph.D., DCEG, presented a pooled analysis of family history of lymphoma and leukemia, which is soon to be submitted for publication. Anne Kricker, Ph.D., University of Sydney, Australia(http://www.usyd.edu.au/) , presented the ultraviolet radiation analysis, and Silvia de Sanjosé, M.D., Ph.D., Institut Català d’Oncologia, Spain, presented the hepatitis C virus manuscript.
Plans for the immunology pooling project were outlined by Wendy Cozen, D.O., M.P.H., University of Southern California; for the occupation project by Paolo Boffetta, M.D., M.P.H., International Agency for Research on Cancer(http://www.iarc.fr/) (IARC); and for the next genotype project by Alexandra Nieters, M.P.H., German Cancer Research Center(http://www.dkfz.de/index.html) ; Christine Skibola, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; and Nat Rothman, M.D., M.P.H., DCEG.
Conference Workshops
Martyn Smith, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley(http://www.berkeley.edu/) , and Dr. Hartge organized and moderated a half-day Workshop on Environment and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Expert panelists discussed the roles of chemical exposures, including presentations on occupation by Dr. Boffetta; organochlorines by Dr. Rothman; chemotherapy drugs by Gareth Morgan, Ph.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.C.Path.; solvents by Paolo Vineis, M.D., Ph.D., Imperial College of London, England(http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/) ; and benzene by Martyn Smith, Ph.D., British Columbia Cancer Agency, Canada(http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/) .
A second panel focused on lifestyle factors including presentations on diet and obesity by Dr. Skibola; ultraviolet light by Bruce Armstrong, M.D., Ph.D., University of Sydney, Australia(http://www.usyd.edu.au/) ; viruses by Eric Engels, M.D., DCEG; and altered immunity by Andrew Grulich, M.B.B.S., M.Sc., Ph.D., University of New South Wales, England. Proceedings of the workshop, co-sponsored with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences(http://www.niehs.nih.gov/) (NIEHS), will be published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention later in 2006.
Related Consortium
Two related emerging consortia met in conjunction with InterLymph. Anthony Staines, Ph.D., University College of Dublin, Ireland(http://www.ucd.ie/) ; Dalsu Baris, M.D., Ph.D., DCEG; Dr. Cozen; and Brenda Birmann, Sc.D., Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital(http://www.brighamandwomens.org/) , convened the first meeting of the Multiple Myeloma Consortium (MMC) attended by more than 30 researchers from 9 different counties and established six working groups in the major areas.
In addition, the recently formed Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Consortium met, co-chaired by Dr. Cozen; Henrik Hjalgrim, M.D., Ph.D., Statens Serum Institut, Denmark(http://www.ssi.dk/sw12909.asp) ; and Sally Glaser, Ph.D., Northern California Cancer Center(http://www.nccc.org/) .