Newswise — Renowned experts in thyroid function and biology, diagnosis and management of thyroid disease, and novel therapies for treating thyroid cancer will gather at the 15th International Thyroid Congress (ITC) to present, discuss, and debate the latest advances in thyroidology. The ITC will take place October 18-23, 2015 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Held every five years, the ITC is a collaborative meeting of the four world thyroid associations held every fifth year: ATA (American Thyroid Association), Asia-Oceania Thyroid Association (AOTA), European Thyroid Association (ETA), and Latin American Thyroid Society (LATS). Two special lectures highlight the fifth day of programming at ITC, on Thursday, October 22. In the morning, Janete Maria Cerutti will deliver the Latin American Thyroid Association Prize Lecture, with an introduction by Rui Maciel. Delivering the European Thyroid Association Prize Lecture in the afternoon will be V. Krishna Chatterjee. On Friday, October 23, Sally E. Carty, to be introduced by Electron Kebebew, will deliver a Plenary Lecture entitled "Progress in the Surgical Management of Neoplasia and Hyperthyroidism. The ITC Program Committee has scheduled a series of provocative Discussions/Debates on Thursday, Day Five of the Congress, one focusing on clinical topics and the other areas related to basic and translational research. The Clinical Discussions/Debates will explore a range of controversial topics: “Pharmacological and Destructive Therapies for Benign Nodules” with Laszlo Hegedus and Jeong Hyun Lee; “Controversies in the Treatment of Graves’ Disease in Children” with Scott Rivkees and Juliane Leger; “Optimal Ultrasound and Scintigraphy for Thyroid Cancer” with Jin Young Kwak and Markus Luster; “Minimizing Birth Defects after Use of Anti-Thyroid Drugs in Pregnancy” with Jorge H. Mestman and Bijay Vaidya; “Technique and Extent of Lymph Node Dissection for Thyroid Cancer” with Zvonimir Luka Milas and Ashok Shaha. Thursday’s Basic/Translational Discussions/Debates will feature the following topics and participants: "New Molecular Drivers in Thyroid Cancer" with Mingzhao Xing and Minho Shong; "Negative Regulation of Target Genes by TH" with Fredrick Wondisford; "Genetics of Thyroid Development" with Roberto di Lauro; "Selenium and the Thyroid: International Studies and Experiences" with Bingyin Shi and Kristian Winther; and "Key Steps in Thyroglobulin Iodination and Thyroid Hormonogenesis" with Juan Pablo Nicola and Peter Arvan. Symposiums on an array of timely topics chaired by international experts and featuring leading researchers and clinicians invited to share their knowledge and experiences will take place throughout the day on Thursday. Beginning with the Early Riser Symposium, Chairs Josef Koehrle and Manisha Shah have organized a session entitled ”Update on Differentiated Thyroid Cancer--Molecular Mechanisms and Treatment" featuring Haixia Guan speaking on Altered Cell Metabolism in Thyroid Cancer; Laura Ward on Targeting the Thyroid CAncer Microenvironment; Marcia Brose on Single or Combination Targeted Therapy?; and Matthew Ringle on "Comparison of Latest Guidelines on Differentiated Thyroid Cancer." Continuing on Thursday morning at ITC will be four symposia taking place in parallel sessions. The Case-Based Symposium entitled ”International Perspectives on Treatment of Graves' Disease" led by Moderator David S. Cooper will feature Won Bae Kim from AOTA, Ana Luisa Maia from LATS, Helena Filipsson Nystrom from ETA, and M. Regina Castro from ATA. The symposium “Target Tissue Responses to Thyroid Hormone, “ organized by Chairs Carmen Pazos de Moura and Donald St. Germain, will feature presentations by Tania Ortiga on the Hypothalamic Pituitary Axis; Anthony Hollenberg on the Role of Co-Factors in TR and Tissue-Selective Thyroid Hormone Action; and Cecilia H.A. Gouveia on the Skeleton. Chairs Gregory Brent and Noriyuki Koibuchi will lead the symposium “Thyroid Hormone Axis--A Target for Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDC),” with presenters Josef Köhrle speaking on Novel Non-Radioactive Screening Assays for Testing EDC Action; Barbara Anne Demeneix on Thyroid Disrupting Effects of Chemicals Found in Human Amniotic Fluid; and Angela Leung on Perchlorate and the Thyroid Axis in Human Pregnancy and Lactation. In the symposium called "Emerging Approaches to Papillary Microcarcinoma Management" Chairs Leonidas Duntas and Akira Miyauchi present speakers Anna M. Sawka on the topic of Epidemiology; Yasuhiro Ito on Active Surveillance; and Fabian Pitoia on Risk Factors for Persistent and Recurrent Disease. ITC’s Thursday afternoon program will feature an additional set of four symposia on various highly relevant topics including “IgG4-Related Sclerosing Disease and the Thyroid” with Chairs Marius Stan and Mitsuyasu Itoh, in which Arezou Khosroshahi will give a Clinical Overview of IgG4-Related Sclerosing Disease; Kennichi Kakudo will present IgG4 in Thyroiditis in Hashimoto's and Reidel's; and James Garrity will speak on Graves' Orbitopathy and IgG4 Ocular Disease. Exploring the ”Non-Genomic Actions of TH" will be session Chairs Riccardo Zucchi and Claudia Pellizas, with an Overview to be presented by Karine Gauthier; a talk on Nuclear Receptor Mediated Non-Genomic Actions by Lars C. Moeller; and a presentation on "Membrane Reception Mediated Non-Genomic Actions by Maria Tereza Nunes. The Thursday afternoon symposia at ITC will also include a session entitled “Longevity in Thyroid Status.” Joining Chairs Patricia de Fatima dos Santos Teixeira and Anne Cappola are presenters Denise Zwanziger discussing Animal Studies on Thyroid and Aging; Bjorn Olav Asvold speaking on Survival Data from Epidemiologic Studies; and Laura Boucai focusing on TSH Thresholds for Therapy. The symposium “Novel Therapies for Thyroid Autoimmune Diseases” led by Chairs Takashi Akamizu and Terry F. Davies will include presentations on Small Molecule TSHR Antagonists by Marvin C. Gershengorn; Blocking Antigen Presentation by Yaron Tomer; and Future Therapeutic Targets in Graves' Orbitopathy by Wilmar M. Wiersinga. The ITC Program Organizing Committee (POC) has invited renowned international thyroid experts for every symposium and discussion/debate. The POC has designed this ITC to highlight and involve young investigators from around the world. The American Thyroid Association (ATA) will continue to promote the E. Chester Ridgway Trainee Conference with a unique and focused track for trainees; participation includes accommodations and complimentary registration for a limited number of applicants who are first authors on accepted abstracts. The four international thyroid associations combine their efforts to contribute to this one of a kind, state-of-the-science experience! Don’t miss this “top of the mark” collegial event. Hosted by the ATA, the ITC will bring together the international community of thyroid researchers and clinicians to present and discuss the latest advances and controversies in thyroidology. The ATA and its annual meetings are well known and well regarded by all those devoted to thyroid biology and to the prevention and treatment of thyroid disease through excellence in research, clinical care, education, and public health.
The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is the leading worldwide organization dedicated to the advancement, understanding, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of thyroid disorders and thyroid cancer. ATA is an international membership medical society with over 1,700 members from 43 countries around the world. Celebrating its 92nd anniversary, the ATA delivers its mission — of being devoted to thyroid biology and to the prevention and treatment of thyroid disease through excellence in research, clinical care, education, and public health — through several key endeavors: the publication of highly regarded professional journals, Thyroid, Clinical Thyroidology, and VideoEndocrinology; annual scientific meetings; biennial clinical and research symposia; research grant programs for young investigators, support of online professional, public and patient educational programs; and the development of guidelines for clinical management of thyroid disease and thyroid cancer. The ATA promotes thyroid awareness and information through its online Clinical Thyroidology for the Public (distributed free of charge to over 11,000 patients and public subscribers) and extensive, authoritative explanations of thyroid disease and thyroid cancer in both English and Spanish. The ATA website serves as the clinical resource for patients and the public who look for reliable information on the Internet. Every fifth year, the American Thyroid Association joins with the Latin American Thyroid Society, the European Thyroid Association, and the Asia and Oceania Thyroid Association to co-sponsor the International Thyroid Congress (ITC). This year the ITC is hosted by the American Thyroid Association at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. More information about the 15th ITC can be found at www.thyroid.org/itc2015/.
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