Cancer Currents for December 2007

News and Notes

Dr. Lynn Butterly Honored by American Cancer Society for Colon Cancer Prevention Efforts
The American Cancer Society's annual awards celebration, held Thursday, November 15 in Concord, honored New Hampshire volunteers who have spent the past year making a difference in the fight against cancer. Lynn Butterly, M.D., Director of Colorectal Cancer Screening for Dartmouth-Hitchcock, was presented the Singer Family Award for her outstanding achievements in furthering the mission of the American Cancer Society in New Hampshire.

Mark A. Israel, MD, director of Norris Cotton Cancer Center said, "We are deeply appreciative of Dr. Butterly's tireless efforts to improve cancer prevention and care in New Hampshire, particularly through her work on the State Cancer Plan. We are pleased that the American Cancer Society has recognized these efforts by awarding her the Singer Family Award."

Transplant Center Prepares for Mass Radiation Casualties
Norris Cotton Cancer Center and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center have been designated a Radiation Injury Treatment Network (RITN) center. Kenneth Meehan, MD, Director of the Bone and Marrow Transplant program, and John Hall, MD, Director of Allogenic Transplants, joined representatives from other hematopoietic cell transplant centers and government agencies in Bethesda, Maryland, for a day-long symposium on the heath effects and medical management of victims of a possible nuclear event. The most catastrophic scenario, an improvised nuclear device, could expose hundreds of thousands of people to ionizing radiation, resulting in varying degrees of acute radiation syndrome. Symposium participants were informed about a series of terrorism response models developed by the Department of Health and Human Services Office. The models are being used to prepare for emergency medical response and patient transport to predetermined hospitals that are prepared to accept casualties.