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Given talk to focus on cancer treatment

Aspen Times Staff

Can cancer deaths be cut in half by 2015? That will be the topic Wednesday, when the Aspen Given Foundation’s summer health education series gets under way. Dr. Tim Byers will offer insights into the latest research and goals in cancer treatment during the free, 5:30 p.m. talk at the Given Institute, 100 E. Francis St.Byers is professor of preventive medicine and deputy director at the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is an expert in cancer prevention research, with a particular interest in the role early detection has on cancer mortality, as well as the roles of diet and nutrition in the prevention of cancer.”I’ll be talking about the new trends in cancer treatments, what’s responsible for these new trends, and what we’re likely to see in the near future,” he said.Byers’ current research includes epidemiological and clinical studies of nutrients as protective factors in prostate, colon, breast and lung cancer; studies of cancer treatment decision-making by patients and physicians; studies of cancer genetics and studies to promote the early detection of cancers of the breast and colorectum.At the Given, he’ll address the challenge goal made by the American Cancer Society in 1990 – to reduce cancer mortality by 50 percent by the year 2015. His analysis is scheduled to become a paper for publication this fall. “The topic of the tremendous progress we are making in cancer will be extremely timely this summer,” he said.Byers says he has some good news and positive trends to report in the treatment of particular types of cancer, as well as suggestions on how to reduce cancer risks. He will also touch on health-care access for uninsured and underinsured patients, and the growing body of research on the use of Eastern or other complementary treatments, such as herbs or acupuncture. Up next in the Given lecture series will be Dr. Steve Pratt on Aug. 19. He is the author of “SuperFoods RX, Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life.”

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