Contact: Karen Baker
(615) 963-1301
kbaker@atkinsonpr.com

SARAH CANNON RESEARCH INSTITUTE INVESTIGATORS PRESENT AT 2005 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY

NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 13, 2005 – The primary physician investigators of Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) are presenting eleven posters at the 2005 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the international gathering of more than 25,000 physicians, starting May 13 in Orlando.

SCRI presentations provide new insights on the results of various combinations of medications, radiation and surgery in the treatment of metastatic renal carcinoma, advanced, limited- and extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, follicular lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, small lymphocytic lymphoma, localized esophageal cancer and neuroendocrine carcinoma.

“The opportunity to present at ASCO is always an honor and something we look forward to all year,” said F. Anthony Greco, M.D., SCRI medical director. “Our goal is to share findings to develop better oncology treatments and show the breadth of SCRI research.”

The most significant SCRI presentation is an update on the effectiveness of the combination of bevacizumab and erlotinib in the treatment of patients with metastatic renal carcinoma. SCRI research shows the activity of these two drugs appears greater than the activity of either drug when given alone. This combination treatment appears to be one of the most active and best tolerated treatment programs for metastatic renal carcinoma.

SCRI investigators presenting at ASCO include physicians F. Anthony Greco, John D. Hainsworth, Howard A. Burris III, Denise S. Yardley, David R. Spigel and Anthony A. Meluch. The research findings being presented are the result of the work of physicians across SCRI’s community-based research network in 25 states.

The ASCO annual meeting is an international gathering of physicians, academicians, clinical researchers and other healthcare professionals involved in multidisciplinary clinical cancer care. ASCO’s objectives are to advance the education of physicians and other professionals caring for patients with cancer, to support the development of clinical cancer researchers and to facilitate the delivery of high-quality healthcare to patients with cancer.

Sarah Cannon Research Institute, a new company created by HCA’s MidAmerica Division and Tennessee Oncology, is dedicated to creating and advancing solutions for a healthier tomorrow through clinical research. The institute is the largest community-based research program in the United States, currently conducting clinical trials through a network of more than 600 oncologists in 25 states.

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