The American Society For Therapeutic Radiology And Oncology (ASTRO) Board of Directors has conferred and decided to proceed with the organization's annual meeting scheduled for Nov. 4-8, 2001, at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.

"The ASTRO Board of Directors would like to thank everyone who sent communications of concern in response to the recent terrorist attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania," said David Hussey, M.D., ASTRO's Chairman. "We also want to send you our wishes for safety and health for you and your colleagues, family and friends. September 11th is clearly a day that none of us will forget, and we join you in mourning the unfathomable number of deaths and injuries, a loss felt keenly by people around the world."

The organization said it had received a few inquiries regarding the Annual Meeting. However, ASTRO's Board of Directors agreed it was in the best interest of radiation oncologists throughout the world to continue on with the conference.

"We plan to hold this meeting as scheduled," Dr. Hussey stated. "This will be a demonstration of our commitment to the free expression and support of science, the maintaining of our scientific and clinical communities, and the continuation of a way of life and work that a tiny minority would seek to disrupt or end."

For more information on ASTRO's 43rd Annual Meeting, visit the organization's Web site.

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 6,700 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the society's goals are to advance the scientific base of radiation therapy and to extend the benefits of radiation therapy to those with cancer and other diseases.