Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It is my privilege and honour to announce the 1st Pan-Asian Computerised Tomographic Colonography (CTC) Congress to be held in Hangzhou, China from March 26th – 28th 2009.

CTC is a novel imaging technology that has proven to be a viable alternative to double contrast barium enema and colonoscopy for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer in symptomatic patients. Its accuracy, safety and patient acceptability also support its role as a potential screening modality for colorectal cancer and precursor polyps. This congress aims to raise medical awareness of CTC for both patients with symptoms and for colorectal cancer screening.

Acquisition of CTC data and its accurate interpretation require specific knowledge and reading skills. Both local and international experts will provide a mixture of lectures and practical hands-on workstation sessions with endoscopically validated CTC datasets. A wide range of presentations will span the whole field from the rationale for colorectal cancer screening, through acquisition of CTC data and its interpretation, pitfalls, Computer-Assisted Detection (CAD), and the specific implementation of CTC in Asia and the rest of the world. These will be supplemented by discussion and question and answer sessions. I would also like to invite you to submit your scientific papers and posters for the scientific abstract session and poster presentations.

In addition to the scientific programme I hope that participants will be able to discover the many pleasures of Hangzhou.

This congress will highlight positive collaborations between the Asian Radiological and Gastroenterological communities and their colleagues in Europe and beyond. I look forward to welcoming you to China.

President Qi Ji, Director of Medical Imaging Institute Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China; Chairman of Chinese Society of Radiology.

Executive President, Dr Zhang Shi Zheng, Director of Radiology Department, Shao Yi Fu Hospital, Hangzhou, China; Chairman of Abdomen Division of Chinese Society of Radiology.

"This congress will make Asian Radiologists be aware of the importance of CT-Colonography. Additionally, they can take the opportunity to meet each other, to exchange ideas and listen to the latest clinical information."

Dr Se Hyung Kim Founder member of the Steering Committee Assistant Professor at the Seoul National University Hospital

Dr Se Hyung Kim was interviewed at the recent AOCR 2008 in Seoul. For the full interview go to http://conferences.medicexchange.com