On November 12, Fighting Chance and Southampton Hospital will convene a dynamic daylong conference, "Coping with Cancer on the East End – A Day of Education and Hope," at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor. The day's keynote speakers will be doctors Larry Norton and Nasser Altorki, considered two of the leading oncologists in the country. Their talks and the entire conference, which is free to the public, will focus on the latest medical advances in the war on cancer.



Larry Norton, MD, heads up the breast cancer programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and is renowned as a leader in the development of drug treatments for breast cancer. He is also past president of the 20,000-member American Society of Clinical Oncologists. Nasser Altorki, MD is a highly regarded lung cancer surgeon at Weill Medical College of Cornell University of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System, which Southampton Hospital joined in January. He has taught thoracic surgery and also hosts many visiting surgeons and scholars from around the world who are interested in esophageal and lung cancer surgery and research.

Three East End doctors, oncologists Louis Avvento and Marilyn McLaughlin and radiation oncologist Renu Aggarwal Hausen, will also present at the conference, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. The afternoon session will include information on health maintenance and stress reduction and conversations with cancer survivors. Seating is limited and reservations can be made by calling Fighting Chance at 631-725-4646. Morning coffee and a box lunch will be provided for all attendees.

The conference is partly funded by Fighting Chance, best known for its widely read cancer care resource guide, which it developed two years ago with support from Southampton Hospital. Its chairman, Duncan Darrow, explained his organization's commitment: "At Fighting Chance we believe that cancer patients greatly improve their quality of life if they empower themselves through education and support. So our goal is to help cancer patients on the East End better navigate the healthcare system and better understand the web of community resources that are here to support them. The November 12 conference is a step toward that goal and, like everything we do at Fighting Chance, is free of charge."

Three other local nonprofits – the South Fork Breast Health Coalition, Ellen's Well and CancerCare of Long Island – are conference partners. Annette Leahy, president and CEO of Southampton Hospital, said: "Long Island organizations large and small are joining forces to improve the quality of cancer care in our area. Our hospital, for instance, is now linked to NewYork-Presbyterian and its outstanding cancer program. Fighting Chance has given residents a first-of-its-kind resource guide and added an oncological social worker with over 15 years experience to its staff. The Breast Health Coalition and Ellen's Well have collaborated for years to improve breast health information and resources on the East End. And CancerCare has been helping cancer patients for over 60 years."