Advances in Immunotherepy

DRC Sponsor: Lorraine Borowski

Inspired by the suggestion of our friend and T-Bock's hostess Penny Bockman and her recent cancer treatment experience, our club will be visited by Dr. Kurt Oettel, MD, a board certified hematologist specializing in cancer and blood disorders and medical oncology at the Gundersen Heath System's La Crosse Campus. Dr. Oettel will be describing the use of imunotherepy in the context of his extensive background in the field.

Immunotherapy is treatment that uses certain parts of a person’s immune system to fight diseases such as cancer. It describes the stimulation of one's own immune system to work harder or smarter to attack cancer cells. Its definition also extends to the application of immune system components, such as man-made immune system proteins, as treatment. In the last few decades immunotherapy has become an important part of treating some types of cancer. Newer types of immune treatments are now being studied, and they will likely impact how we treat cancer in the future.

Dr. Oettel attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and performed his residency at Fletcher Allen Health Care (now known as the University of Vermont Medical Center) in Burlington, Vermont. He also completed a Fellowship in Medical Oncology at the University of Wisconsin. He presently serves as Chairman of the Gundersen Health System's Board of Oncology.