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Spotlight On: The Milan Breast Cancer Conference

Now in its 10^th year The European Institute of Oncology's conference is at the forefront of worldwide breast cancer care.

Its is set to continue the precedent set by the past nine meetings with a first class faculty and atmosphere to foster creative discussions.

Reaching the 10th year is an important milestone for a meeting focused on innovation in care and research in the field of breast cancer. Each of the past nine conferences has had a first class faculty and a setting which fostered creative discussions. This conference will also include new information consolidated knowledge and conversations on controversial issues regarding diagnosis treatment strategies and disease prevention. The tenth assembly of this conference will provide a stimulating forum for the presentation of innovation and ongoing and future research in breast cancer.

This year will focus on four important areas of research and treatment. The first involves tailored treatment approaches to patients with the disease. Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease which presents in very different ways and in patients with a variety of biological social and human characteristics. Pathological and biological assessment genetics and

molecular evaluation are integrated into therapeutic decision-making strategies and trials are now designed to improve profiling for treatment choice. The prejudice of a “one size fits all” is being challenged more than ever before by focusing on how diversity can be used to improve treatment outcome. Significant progress has been achieved with the availability of targeted systemic treatments such as an increased number of endocrine agents monoclonal antibodies and agents that interact with strategically important cellular components. These approaches provide an incentive for further developments based upon molecular medicine technology.

A second focus of the conference will be the current understanding of angiogenesis and how it can be a target for therapeutic intervention. This will be the topic of The European Institute of Oncology Award Lecture at the opening of this Anniversary Conference.

Opportunities to tailor surgery and radiation therapy represent a third area of continuing interest at the conference. Refinements of multidisciplinary approaches include surgery intra and postoperative radiation therapy to obtain the best local disease control and to minimize the side effects of proper treatment. Part of such programs also include preoperative systemic therapies which

permit more efficient control of local disease and obtaining important information on tumour regression with specific therapies to improve knowledge on tailoring of treatment. Research on biomarkers which predict treatment outcome as soon as possible has become an integrated part of the preoperative systemic therapy program and details about such developments will be discussed.

The fourth area of focus will be the treatment of very young women with breast cancer. For the very young there are specific areas of concern such as issues of career family and child bearing. There unfortunately has been a paucity of research regarding the treatment of these patients and the discussions during these conference sessions will provide useful therapeutic approaches.

Highlights are likely to include the current approach to patients with inflammatory breast cancer accelerated breast radiation extending breast conservation- oncoplastic surgery techniques and indications and breast cancer cells and their growth factors- lessons on networking.

For more information visit: www.breastmilan.com

Attending the conference? Read our 'Out of Hours' guide to Milan.