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The third most common childhood cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), affects 800 new children nationally every year. The Second International Symposium on Pediatric Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, the largest event of its kind, will feature the world's pre-eminent physician-scientists and their presentations of new scientific and clinical research.

The Symposium is organized by Dr. Mitchell Cairo of Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center.

"Promising research in areas including stem cell research, immunotherapy and gene therapy is leading to new treatments and renewed hope for children and adolescents with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma," says Dr. Cairo. "It is our hope that this symposium will enhance communication and collaboration among a multidisciplinary group of investigators."

Dr. Cairo is chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and professor of pediatrics, medicine and pathology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

More than 135 scientific abstracts are being presented at the Symposium. They will also be published in the June issue of Pediatric Blood & Cancer, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology.

Research presented by Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital physicians includes the following:

• Prevention strategies for mucositis cancer-therapy complication. Dr. Brigid Bradley, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and assistant attending pediatrician at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. Thursday, May 18, 1:30 p.m.
• Reduced intensity conditioning regimens and allogenic transplants in children. Dr. Mitchell S. Cairo. May 18, 4:00 p.m.
• PET scanning in NHL. Dr. Ronald Van Heertum, professor of radiology and vice chairman of administration at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and director of the Division of Nuclear Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia. Saturday, May 20, 9:30 a.m.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Children

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma causes the cells in the lymphatic system to abnormally reproduce, eventually causing tumors to grow. Non-Hodgkin's disease cells also can spread to other organs and tissues in the body. It occurs most often in children between the ages of 7 and 11, but can occur at any age from infancy to adulthood. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma affects males almost three times more often than females and is more common among Caucasian children than among African-American children and children of other races. Long-term survival rate is 85 percent to 90 percent.

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical education and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, nurses, dentists, and public health professionals at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the Mailman School of Public Health, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions.

Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian

Ranked by U.S.News & World Report as one of the top five children's hospitals in the country, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian offers the best available care in every area of pediatrics – including the most complex neonatal and critical care, and all areas of pediatric subspecialties – in a family-friendly and technologically advanced setting. Building a reputation for more than a century as one of the nation's premier children's hospitals, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is affiliated with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is New York City's only hospital dedicated solely to the care of children and the largest provider of children's health services in the tri-state area with a long-standing commitment to its community. Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is also a major international referral center, meeting the special needs of children from infancy through adolescence worldwide.