The Vermont Regional Cancer Center is convening a symposium entitled, """"""""The Molecular Mechanisms of Organ Directed Toxicities of Anticancer Drugs"""""""". The symposium will be on June 17-19, 1987 at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. The purpose of the symposium is to address new developments in the biological, chemical, pharmacological and immunological components of the organ specific toxicities of clinically important anticancer drugs. The program is being designed to encourage the efficient exchange of ideas and foster discussion for the development of new concepts in combating these dose-limiting toxicities. Recognizing the diversity of this area, the organizers have elected to focus the symposium on three organ systems and have identified a prototypical drug or class of drugs for each organ system. Specifically, we intend to concentrate on the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal systems with the representative drugs being anthracyclines, bleomycins, and platinum complexes respectively. The program will consist of three scientific sessions including: 1) The Myocardial Toxicities of the Anthracylines led by Thomas Tritton; 2) The Pulmonary Toxicities of the Bleomycins led by John Lazo; and 3) The Nephrotoxicity of Platinum Complexes led by Miles Hacker. Each session will include presentations by 5 to 6 invited speakers, a poster viewing session, and a concluding open discussion of the posters. The focus will be on recent developments as well as current and planned research in the field. It is anticipated that this symposium will be attended by investigators from widely divergent areas of research interest and expertise. It is further anticipated that this divergency will result in fruitful and exciting discussions and cross-fertilization of ideas and avenues of future investigation. The symposium is being planned and organized under the direction of an Organizing Committee, a Scientific Program Committee and a Local Arrangements Committee. The Organizing Committee is chaired by Miles Hacker, Vermont Regional Cancer Center. It is anticipated that between 150 and 200 investigators worldwide, including chemists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, biochemists, immunologists and medical oncologists will participate in the symposium. To further disseminate the important information exchanged at the symposium, we intend to have the proceedings formally published and made available within 9 to 12 months after completion of the symposium.
