5/1/2010 through 5/2/2010

4th Annual Conference for Women Living with Advanced Breast Cancer: Enhancing Your Health and Quality of Life

Join us on May 1-2 for a national conference that focuses on your unique medical, emotional and practical concerns as a woman living with metastatic breast cancer

Plenary Speakers: Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH; Donna Deegan; Bruce Feiler

View photos of the conference.

Join Living Beyond Breast Cancer on May 1-2 in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, for our 4th Annual Conference for Women Living with Advanced Breast Cancer. Held just miles from the city at the beautiful Philadelphia Marriott West Hotel, this national conference focuses on your unique concerns as a woman living with metastatic breast cancer. At this event, you will:

• Learn about medical treatments for bone, liver, lung and brain mets
• Hear about clinical trials and cutting-edge therapies
• Ask questions of providers with a special interest in metastatic breast cancer
• Get advice on managing side effects
• Find support for your emotional and practical concerns
• Be inspired by speakers who have coped with metastatic cancers
• Connect with hundreds of women like you

During three plenary sessions and ten workshops (detailed below), get the information and support you need to make informed decisions. You’ll also enjoy a special screening of LBBC’s video Metastatic Breast Cancer: Stories of Trials, Perseverance and Hope; conversations with providers; and networking receptions, where you’ll connect with women and families. We hope you’ll make some friends along the way, too!

About Our Key Speakers

Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH, Bruce Feiler and Donna Deegan, our plenary speakers, are leading voices in the world of metastatic cancer.

During the opening plenary session on Saturday, Dr. Garber will discuss "Treating Advanced Breast Cancer: Medical and Research News." A member of LBBC’s Medical Advisory Board, Dr. Garber is director of the cancer risk and prevention program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston. She also serves as attending physician at Dana-Farber’s Breast Evaluation Center and is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Her research interests include hereditary and familial breast cancers, novel medicines, managing chemotherapy side effects and cancers in premenopausal women.

A New York Times best-selling author, Mr. Feiler will open the second plenary session on Saturday afternoon by discussing how he coped with his 2008 diagnosis of bone cancer. The experience inspired his book, The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness and the Men Who Could Be Me, which will be released just a week before the conference. The book explores how he prepared for the possibility his children could grow up without him. Previously, Mr. Feiler published nine books that reexamine historical people and places.

Ms. Deegan, also speaking during the second plenary, is the evening anchor for "First Coast News" in Jacksonville, Florida. She will share her inspiring journey of thriving while managing breast cancer. After her initial diagnosis, Ms. Deegan established The Donna Foundation, which helps women in northern Florida who are undergoing breast cancer treatment and have financial difficulties. She established an annual race called 26.2 with Donna: The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer. All proceeds support breast cancer research and support. Ms. Deegan has published two books about her journey with breast cancer, The Good Fight and Through Rose Colored Glasses.

During plenary session three on Sunday, you can directly question our five professionals with expertise in the concerns of women with metastatic breast cancers. Our distinguished panelists are:

• Faith D. Ottery, MD, PhD, FACN, a surgical oncologist. Dr. Ottery is president of Ottery and Associates, Oncology Care Consultants, and she serves as senior director of medical affairs at Savient Pharmaceuticals. She has a doctorate degree in the nutritional sciences.
• Stacy D. Sanford, PhD, a clinical health psychologist. Dr. Sanford works at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwest University.
• Linda T. Vahdat, MD, a medical oncologist. Dr. Vahdat is associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University.
• Rodney N. Warner, Esq, an attorney. Mr. Warner works at The Legal Clinic for the Disabled.
• Heather L. Wright, ND, a naturopathic clinician. Ms. Wright practices at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Eastern Regional Medical Center.

About the Workshops

This conference has two workshop sessions, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Choose from among five topics per session (details below). We know it can be hard to pick just one, so we record and transcribe most workshops. Even if you miss a session, you can likely access the information on lbbc.org in the months following the event.

Saturday Workshops

A. Bone Mets: Treatments and Strategies

Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Learn about standard and new therapies for bone metastases, including medicines, surgery and radiation, and the tests your doctors use to monitor effectiveness of treatment. Find out how to manage side effects, protect and strengthen bones and enhance your quality of life.

B. Confronting Tough Decisions: Using Your Inner Compass as a Guide

Shannon Carney, Wind River Cancer Wellness Retreat

We often feel overwhelmed and unsure when confronted with decisions, big and small. In this fun, hands-on workshop, you will learn to better navigate through choices and flow gracefully through change by accessing the divine wisdom of your inner compass. Part of this session is devoted to guided imagery for healing.

C. Managing Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Lyndsay N. Harris, MD, Yale Cancer Center

Get the emerging news on research for breast cancer that tests negative for estrogen, progesterone and HER2. Learn about standard treatments; cutting-edge therapies like PARP inhibitors and anti-angiogenic medicines; and ways to manage common symptoms and treatment side effects.

D. Taking Control: Talking about End-of-Life Concerns

Gail A. Inderwies, RN, BSN, MBA, and Cindy Scott, RN, BSN, Keystone Hospice

In a safe and sensitive environment, ask questions and get the information you need to openly discuss end-of-life care with your family, friends and healthcare team. Find out what issues to consider in planning for your future and how to create a legacy for your loved ones. Learn what services hospice offers, the importance of pain management and how to create an advanced directive.

E. Communicating with Children about Metastatic Breast Cancer

Joan F. Hermann, LSW

Advanced breast cancer affects the entire family, especially young people. Learn to use age-appropriate concepts, recognize coping difficulties and encourage open communication. Discover methods to juggle changes in family roles and routines and to embrace the joys and demands of family life while coping with uncertainty.

Sunday Workshops

F. Liver and Lung Mets: Treatments and Strategies

Linda T. Vahdat, MD, Weill Cornell Medical College

Explore medical options for breast cancer that has spread to the liver or lungs. Learn about the challenges to treating these sites, and get advice on managing symptoms and treatment side effects. Understand the tests your doctors use to monitor the effectiveness of treatment.

G. Rest Assured: Managing Insomnia and Fatigue

Stacy D. Sanford, PhD, Northwestern University

Discover why cancer and its treatments can impact your sleep and energy level, and explore medicines and lifestyle changes that may help you get more and better rest. Hear the latest research, and learn what your healthcare team needs to know to help you get relief.

H. Creative Coping: Healing Through Writing

Alysa Cummings, Certified Poetry Therapist

Explore writing as an outlet for thoughts and feelings in this creative arts session. Through a series of exercises, learn techniques to jump-start the writing process, whether via journaling, poetry or memoir. Sharing your writing is optional.

I. Caregiver’s Corner: Giving and Getting Support

Neal Niznan, LCSW, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

In this session, open only to caregivers, explore methods to cope with your worries and acknowledge your needs. Learn techniques for self-care and ways to manage your expectations of yourself. Discover practical strategies and resources for calling on family, friends and providers when you want support.

J. Practical Matters: Legal and Workplace Concerns

Rodney N. Warner, Esq, The Legal Clinic for the Disabled

Protect yourself by understanding the impact your diagnosis can have on your work life. Learn about state and federal laws that protect you, how to negotiate conflict, what to do in cases of suspected discrimination and ways to talk effectively with your colleagues.

About Registration and Travel Grants

Registration costs $75 per person and covers the costs for all educational programs over two days; a continental breakfast, lunch and networking reception on Saturday; and a continental breakfast and networking reception on Sunday.

To make the conference more affordable to those with financial need, we are offering a limited number of travel grants and fee waivers. We will accept applications for travel grants until Monday, April 12; fee waivers are available until funds are depleted.

About the Conference Site/Hotel

The conference will be held at the Philadelphia Marriott West at 111 Crawford Avenue in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania 19428. LBBC has reserved a small room block for conference participants with a reduced rate of $129 plus tax; to take advantage of it, please mention the "LBBC Conference" when you make your reservation or note it when reserving online. If the Philadelphia Marriott West's room block is full, please note that overflow will be handled by the Residence Inn. The Residence Inn is located at 191 Washington St., Conshohocken, Pennsylvania 19428. To make a reservation, please call 610-828-8800. Currently, the room rate $109 plus tax per night.

About Transportation and Parking

The hotel is centrally located off I-476 near both I-95 and I-76. Paid self-parking is available for $5 per day. You may also take the SEPTA regional rail train R6, which drops passengers off one-half mile from the hotel. Call the hotel for directions, or use the Marriott’s mapping tool.

About CEU Credits

LBBC offers CEU credits for social workers through the West Chester Undergraduate Social Work Department. For a $30 fee, you may earn five credits for Saturday’s programs and three credits for Sunday’s. Please check with your state association to see whether your state has reciprocity with Pennsylvania.

We Need Volunteers!

LBBC needs you! Help us stuff bags, set up the rooms, greet attendees and moderate workshops. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, please contact Lisa at or (610) 645-4567.

About Our Sponsors

We would like to thank our lead sponsor, The Breast Cancer Fund of National Philanthropic Trust, and our presenting sponsors, Amgen and Pfizer Oncology. Thank you also to our benefactor sponsors, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, Lilly Oncology and Novartis Oncology; and to supporting sponsors Abraxis Bioscience and Veridex.

Download a copy of the conference brochure.