An international bid, led by University of Liverpool researchers, to bring more than 2,000 world leading experts in women’s cancers to the city has been accepted by the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO).
Working with a team at the city’s Arena and Convention Centre (ACC), Dr John Green, from the University’s Institute of Translational Medicine, will bring the society’s biennial conference to the city, where researchers will present their findings on the latest developments in the prevention, treatment and study of gynaecological cancers.
Cancers, such as those arising in the womb and ovaries, affect thousands of women in the UK every year. It is reported that the number of women diagnosed with womb cancer has risen by 26% in the past 10 years, whereas the success of cervical screening and vaccination has seen a decrease in those diagnosed with cancer of the cervix.
The conference will be held in October 2013 and will be the first international meeting of women’s cancer specialists that the city has hosted.
Research at the University into women’s cancers includes work into endometrial diseases, where scientists are identifying adult stem cells to grow new endometrial lining. Study also includes looking at molecular factors that help predict nerve toxicity from drugs commonly used to treat endometrial and ovarian cancers.
Dr Green said: “There are major advances both in the molecular characterisation of gynaecological cancers and in their treatment and this conference will allow this work to be shared with experts from around the world. Our success in the bid to host the conference demonstrates Liverpool’s standing as a major centre for postgraduate education and knowledge exchange in the advancement of the understanding and treatment of women’s cancers.”