Neuro-oncology experts from across North America provided an audience the latest developments on the best current practices and future treatment directions for patients with primary gliomas using surgery, radiation and chemotherapy at the second annual James Graham Brown Cancer Center Neuro-oncology Symposium at UofL earlier this month.

Eric Burton, MD, assistant professor in the UofL Department of Neurology and director of neuro-oncology at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, organized the symposium, sponsored by UofL Department of Neurology and JGBCC, a part of KentuckyOne Health. Burton talked with Mark Hebert for about brain tumors prior to the event.

Among the speakers was Raymond Sawaya, MD, chair and professor of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, who explained that radical surgical procedures to remove as much of a glioblastoma as possible most often results in improved overall survival for the patient. He described how cortical mapping and advanced imaging can allow surgeons to remove more of the tumor while preserving functionality and reducing potential deficits in the patient.

Shiao Woo, MD, chair and professor in the UofL Department of Radiation Oncology, outlined the latest developments in radiation treatment for gliomas, including the use of molecular characteristics in guiding treatment choices.

Michael Prados, MD, the Charles B Wilson Chair in Neurosurgery and professor emeritus at the University of California San Francisco, shared his most recent research to establish protocols for treatment plans using precision medicine.

Kenneth Aldape, MD, senior scientist and director of MacFeeters-Hamilton Brain Tumor Centre at Toronto General Hospital, concluded the program with a discussion of the need to identify tumors as precisely as possible to achieve better outcomes for patients experiencing glioma. Aldape participated in the development of new tumor classifications by the World Health Organization released earlier this year. The classifications allow researchers to identify the tumors by not only histological, but also molecular composition, which will allow researchers to develop more precise therapies for treating specific tumors.

Photos from the symposium are .��

“Management of Primary Glioma in Adults,” co-hosted by the UofL Department of Neurology and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, a part of KentuckyOne Health, will be Friday, July 8 from 7:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kosair Charities Clinical and Translational Research Building, 505 S. Hancock St. on the University of Louisville Health Sciences Campus. The event is open to patients and their families, as well as physicians and health care professionals.

Conference director Eric Burton, MD, assistant professor in the UofL Department of Neurology and director of neuro-oncology at JGBCC, will provide an overview of adult glioma, a tumor that develops in the supportive tissue of the brain. Presenters from MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, Toronto General Hospital and the University of Louisville will then address best current practices and future treatment directions for patients with primary gliomas using surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, as well as a discussion of molecular markers in adult glioma.

“These are some of the most influential and highly respected physician researchers in neuro-oncology and neuropathology,” Burton said. “This is an excellent opportunity for physicians across the region, as well as patients and their families, to learn about the latest developments in the pathology and treatment of brain tumors.”

In addition to Burton, presenters include:

senior scientist and director of MacFeeters-Hamilton Brain Tumor Centre at Toronto General Hospital and professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. Aldape is a neuropathologist with a research interest in primary brain tumors. His work includes the identification of biomarkers in gliomas, characterizing glioma subtypes and identifying clinically relevant molecular alterations in these tumors. In 2014, Aldape received the Guha Award for Excellence in Neuro-Oncology Research from the Society for Neuro-Oncology.

Charles B Wilson Chair in Neurosurgery and professor emeritus at the University of California San Francisco. Prados led the North America Brain Tumor Consortium for 15 years and was co-project leader of the Adult Brain Tumor Consortium until 2014.��He formed and is co-project leader of the Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium, a consortium of 15 major academic centers across the U.S., and is co-project leader of a pediatric brain tumor SPORE project at UCSF. Prados has been NIH/NCI funded continuously since 1994 and is a member of the NCI/CTEP Brain Malignancies Steering Committee.��In 2014, he was awarded the Victor Levin Award for lifetime clinical research excellence from the Society of Neuro-Oncology.

chair and professor of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.��He is director of the Brain Tumor Center at MD Anderson and served as professor and chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine from 2005-2014. His awards include the Joseph P. Evans Award in Neurosurgery at the University of Cincinnati and the Charles Wilson Award from the National Brain Tumor Society. He is past chairman of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Section on Tumors. Sawaya has particular expertise in primary and metastatic brain tumors and is renowned for his strides in enhancing the accessibility and safety of brain tumor surgery.

chair and professor in the UofL Department of Radiation Oncology, professor in the UofL Department of Pediatrics and the Kosair Children’s Hospital/Norton Healthcare Chair in Pediatric Oncology. His clinical focus and research is on brain and spine tumors, pediatric cancer and lung cancer. Woo has received Clinical Fellowship Awards from the American Cancer Society, Teacher of the Year Award from the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology and the Patient Golden Apple Award from the MD Anderson Cancer Center. He also served as president of the MD Anderson Radiation Oncology Gilbert H. Fletcher Society.

Continuing education credit is available for health care providers. The event is free for UofL-affiliated providers, $15 for nurses and $20 for all others. For additional information, visit the or contact Emily Rollins at emily.rollins@louisvilleneuroscience.com.