Welcome to the 2010 Mid-year conference in Las Vegas, Nevada!

Where else but Sin City can you play slots at 2 am at the 7-Eleven, see the world’s largest bronze animal sculpture, a 45 foot lion, outside the MGM Grand, and get married (yes, it is legal in other states) by an Elvis impersonator? The truth is, Las Vegas is much more than the weird, the wacky and the sensational. There IS life beyond the Strip. Las Vegas offers attractions for everyone, from theme parks to museums, entertainment, national parks, nightlife, and more.

The mid year conference is being held at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa. The resort is located off the strip and offers spectacular views of Red Rock Canyon. The Resort has many amenities including a casino, the Cherry Nightclub, a world-class spa, several bars, a 16-screen cinema complex, and the largest luxury bowling center. A shuttle service is available to the Strip.

With the recent marketing of Palladia and Kinavet, this year’s topic of “Targeted Therapies” is timely. Cheryl London will present a historical review of her initial work with c-kit leading to the development of Palladia as well as an update on the use of Palladia. Dr. Albert Ahn will present an update on the use of Kinavet (masitinib). Joshua Lachowitz will present his work on the use of Gleevec in cats. Phil Bergman and Ilene Kurzman will present an update on melanoma vaccines. Doug Thamm and Chand Khanna will discuss VEGF, angiogenesis and targeting the metastatic phenotype of cancer. Chick Weisse will present his work on interventional oncology treatments. The Keynote speakers include Karen Milligan, MD from the Nevada Cancer Institute who will present “Current Trends in Breast Cancer Treatment” and Tricia Carrigan, PhD from the Center for Innovations in Medicine at the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University, who will discuss “Developing New Diagnostic Platforms For Early Cancer Detection.”

A big thanks to Barb McGehee and Sandi Strother and their teams for their tireless work which makes a conference chair’s job that much easier, the Executive Committee for review of abstracts, and the sponsors for their continued support of VCS. Please join us for an exciting mid-year conference. “What happens here, stays here.” It’s Vegas, baby!

Sincerely,



Betsy Hershey, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), CVA