Office of Continuing Medical Education

The University of Tennessee Medical Center Cancer Institute and the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine Present:

The Dr. John L. Bell Big 4 Cancer Conference: Complex Cases, Prevention, Multi-Disciplinary Care, and Current Topics

September 19-20, 2025

Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort
1210 Dollywood Resorts Blvd., Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

All registration questions should be referred to the UT Conference Center at (865) 974-0280 or Conferences@utk.edu

Course Overview

The Big 4 Cancer Conference 2025 aims to enhance cancer care by addressing current topics, complex cases, multi-disciplinary care, and prevention. The conference will provide a platform for learning, discussion, and networking to improve patient outcomes and regional healthcare coordination.

Conference Goals

• Strengthen understanding of best practices in cancer management.
• Review current technologies and treatment advancements.
• Foster regional collaboration to improve access, timely care, and provider communication.

Key Topics

• Surgical Management of Solid Organ Cancer -  Addressing gaps in multi-disciplinary care, optimizing treatment timing, and adapting to the increasing number of early-onset diagnoses. Emphasis will be placed on neoadjuvant therapy protocols and community education for prevention and early detection.
• Systemic Therapies for Hematologic Malignancies - Reviewing current cellular therapies, treatment modalities, and preventative techniques to minimize side effects. Providers will gain insights into emerging therapies and strategies to bridge knowledge gaps in treating blood-borne malignancies.
• Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy - Evaluating the growing use of neoadjuvant therapy despite limited prospective data. Discussions will focus on current research, alternative approaches, and optimizing multi-disciplinary decision-making.
• Radiation Oncology in Cancer Care - Reinforcing current standards while addressing unusual cases and exceptions. This session will highlight palliative care, multi-disciplinary approaches, and the role of radiation in managing Head and Neck malignancies.

Regional Impact

Cancer remains a growing burden in our region due to population growth, environmental exposures, tobacco use, and healthcare disparities. Tennessee ranks among the top 10 states for cancer-related deaths, underscoring the need for improved education, screening, and treatment accessibility.

This conference will equip providers with the latest knowledge, encourage collaboration, and create a unified approach to cancer care across the region.

Course Objectives

After this program, the participants should be able to:

• Discuss current recommendations for neoadjuvant therapy in resectable solid organ malignancies
• Review current radiation management for Head and Neck malignancies
• Apply the current screening recommendations, current screening technologies, and novel screening tools for solid and hematologic malignancies
• Identify current Artificial Intelligence options within the outpatient clinic setting, surveillance, and multidisciplinary care
• Translate current treatment recommendations and algorithms for cellular therapy
• Evaluate current treatment recommendations for gynecologic malignancies.

Registration Fees

The registration fee covers all sessions, online access to conference materials, continuing education credit, breakfast and breaks on Friday and Saturday, lunch on Friday, and self-parking at the resort.

Accreditation

Education Credits

The University of Tennessee College of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 10.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners may use these credit hours toward certification renewal.  This credit is acceptable by the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Successful completion of this CME activity enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME requirement of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

  Continuing Education Information - The University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

* Attendance is required both days to earn ACPE credit

Disclosures

Individuals involved with planning, reviewing, and presenting content for this activity must disclose all financial relationships within the past 24 months with ineligible companies, regardless of the amount. The ACCME defines ineligible companies as those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Financial relationships are relevant if the educational content an individual can control is related to the business lines or products of the ineligible company. Individuals must disclose regardless of their view of the relevance of the relationship to the education.

The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME) staff, and the Activity Director will take appropriate steps to identify and mitigate relationships before the individuals assume their roles.  The CME staff,  Activity Director, and Planning Committee wish to disclose they have no financial relationships with ineligible companies.