Cancer Research Organization bringing findings to L.A.: scientists, company reps and patient advocates to meet.

Los Angeles' extensive medical research and treatment communities will be in the spotlight this weekend as the world's oldest cancer research association comes to town for its annual conference.

The American Association of Cancer Research is taking over the Los Angeles Convention Center and around 20 downtown and Westside hotels to handle an expected 18,000 researchers, oncologists, patient advocates and company representatives coming from around the world for its centennial meeting.

The group estimates the five-day conference starting April 14 will bring $30 million to the local economy.

While the association's younger cousin, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, often gets more national press at its June meetings because of its emphasis on late-stage clinical trials, Wall Street has increasingly been on the prowl at AARC for trial data that can move markets.

"We had details from one Phase 3 session last year that was up on the Web seconds after the presentation ended," said Executive Director Margaret Foti, adding that the presentations are scoured for investment opportunities. "Stock analysts, the venture capitalists and the business media attend the sessions vociferously."

Presentations by UCLA and USC researchers are on the agenda. And drug companies such as Thousand Oaks' Amgen Inc. and Los Angeles-based Abraxis Bioscience Inc. not only will be making presentations on current and experimental cancer therapies but are sponsoring booths in the exhibit hall. Pasadena's Calando Pharmaceuticals, which had a study featured in the association's journal this month, is among several small drug development companies in the region that also will have a presence.

Among the more closely watched presentations will be from Amgen on April 16. The company is expected to provide details from a controversial study of its top-selling anemia drug Aranesp. The study, first reported in January, detected safety problems with off-label uses of the drug and contributed to a 15 percent decline in Amgen's share price this year.