Carcinogenicity assessments are an important component of a toxicological evaluation of drugs or chemicals. Because of the time and resource intensive nature of the rodent bioassay, it is not practical to conduct this test for all chemicals of interest. Additionally, the standard bioassay does not address mechanisms of carcinogenic action, information which is critical for accurately assessing the human risk from exposure to a drug or chemical. Over the last several years, there has been a substantial increase in our knowledge of and ability to study the mechanistic basis of carcinogenesis. Computer, molecular, cellular and animal methods for predicting carcinogenic potential have been developed based on these advances. Mechanistic approaches for a better understanding of dose response relationships and extrapolating rodent results to humans are also being increasingly utilized. The objective of this conference is to assemble scientists from government, academia, and industry to discuss the new and emerging methods and approaches for assessing the carcinogenic potential of chemicals. The use of mechanistic data in the assessment of human carcinogenic risk from chemical exposure and the current status and application of the new approaches for regulatory decision making will also be explored. Each session will be chaired by an expert in the field, and will have several invited speakers and time for discussion. Other contributed abstracts will be presented as posters. Invited speakers are leaders in specific areas of cancer research, epidemiology and risk assessment who can facilitate integration of these diverse fields to address new approaches for assessing the carcinogenic potential of chemicals.
