Scientific evidence and personal stories have shown the value of strength of spirit in overcoming cancer. CTRC Director Ian M. Thompson Jr., M.D., will discuss this topic at a free public lecture on Thursday, July 14.
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Contact: Elizabeth Allen, 210-450-2020

SAN ANTONIO (July 8, 2011) – The importance of the spirit in fighting cancer, or any illness, should not be underestimated by physicians, said Ian M. Thompson Jr., M.D. That will be the topic of the next free public lecture at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio.

The presentation will be held on Thursday, July 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the CTRC, 7979 Wurzbach, on the fourth floor of the Grossman Building.

“You cannot simply deal with the body,” said Dr. Thompson, director of the CTRC. “You must also deal with the mind and the spirit as well.”

Dr. Thompson will describe in clinical terms how the healing process can be helped along by spiritual interventions, whether religious or not. For instance, yoga and meditation may bolster the immune system or metabolism. He will be joined by a panel that includes religious leaders, a psychotherapist, a yoga instructor and a patient.

“It’s important for physicians to pay attention to a person’s spiritual, as well as physical, condition,” Dr. Thompson said.

Refreshments will be provided at the presentation. For more information, call 210-450-1152.

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The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the elite academic cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Center, and is one of only four in Texas. A leader in developing new drugs to treat cancer, the CTRC Institute for Drug Development (IDD) conducts one of the largest oncology Phase I clinical drug programs in the world, and participates in development of cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.ctrc.net.