Feb. 24, 2004

VCU Massey Cancer Center to have reunion for bone marrow transplant patients

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By Michael Ford
University News Services

WHAT:          Virginia Commonwealth University's Massey Cancer Center Bone Marrow Transplant Program is hosting a reunion for bone marrow transplant patients who have been treated in the last three years.

                        The reunion is intended to celebrate the patients' successful course of treatment and to update them and their families on the Bone Marrow Transplant Program, including new treatments and future research projects. 

                    Founded in 1988 as a program within VCU's Massey Cancer Center, the Bone Marrow Transplant Program is Virginia's largest and only comprehensive bone marrow and stem cell transplantation program for adults and children performing these transplants from all available stem cell sources and is the largest pediatric bone marrow transplant program in Virginia. 

The only state center that provides tandem bone marrow transplantation, the BMTP offers intensive therapy with autologous - patient donated - and allogenic - living related and unrelated donor - bone marrow transplantation support. The program also provides autologous peripheral blood stem cell support for hematological malignancies (acute & chronic leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, myeloma), breast cancer, & other solid tumor malignancies.

                   The Bone Marrow Transplant program handles nearly 80 cases annually; about 15 percent of those involve pediatric patients. More than 150 patients have been invited to attend. 

WHERE:        Virginia Aviation Museum, 5701 Huntsman Rd., Richmond International Airport.

WHO:             •         John M. McCarty, M.D., assistant professor, hematology/oncology division, and medical director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program

•         Gordon D. Ginder, M.D., professor and director, VCU's Massey Cancer Center

•         Harshall Mehta, bone marrow transplant patient

•         Steven Cavaleri, bone marrow transplant patient

•         Whitney Ferrell, bone marrow transplant patient

WHEN:            Feb. 28, 2004, 6-9:30 p.m.

For more information about the program, go to the Bone Marrow Transplant Program website:  www.vcuhealth.org/bmt.