General Information & CME Accreditation Statement
Overview
The 2008 Breast Cancer Symposium has expanded this year to a three-day multidisciplinary symposium in order to provide more feature presentations on the latest multidisciplinary research from selected, theme-based translational and clinical abstracts, as well as related educational sessions. This symposium offers an opportunity for clinically relevant, in-depth discussions of how and when to translate new findings into patient care and how to be more selective about breast cancer therapy. The American Society of Breast Disease, the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, the National Consortium of Breast Centers, Inc., and the Society of Surgical Oncology are co-sponsoring this event.
CME Accreditation Statement
The American Society of Clinical Oncology is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology designates the Breast Cancer Symposium for a maximum of 20.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Physicians (MDs and DOs) may receive CME credit for attending this meeting. Nonphysicians (including nurses and pharmacists) may request a Certificate of Participation, which may enable nonphysicians to apply their meeting participation hours toward re-licensure.
Questions regarding CME may be sent via e-mail to
cme@asco.org.
Educational Need Statement
In 2008, 184,450 new cases of breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed, and 40,930 people will die from the disease according to estimates.
1 Although survival rates have shown significant improvement over the past several decades, breast cancer continues to be the second most common cause of cancer death in women.
1 Several major breast cancer meetings are held each year, but there is a strong desire for a novel meeting, held in an intimate setting, with a specific focus on translational science.
The 2008 Breast Cancer Symposium is designed to provide an opportunity for members of the oncology community to discuss major developments in breast cancer treatment and research in a smaller forum. Large clinical trials coupled with an increasing wealth of new preclinical and translational data offer opportunities to consider new treatment approaches both in research and practice settings. To this end, there is the need to engage the oncology community in thoughtful reflection, interaction, and reaction about the developments from these and other trials. Additionally, lessons learned, hidden nuances, and unexpected epiphanies may be realized only after some degree of distance from the original scientific presentation. Hence, reconsideration of “ground-breaking” results will be an important component of this meeting.
In a 2003 educational survey of U.S.-based oncologists, over 90% of respondents indicated that they would attend a meeting with 1,500 or fewer attendees.
2 The 2008 Breast Cancer Symposium seeks to fill this need by providing an opportunity for oncologists and other members of the cancer care team to meet in a smaller, more intimate forum for the discussion and review of selected theme-based translational, preclinical, and clinical abstracts.
The 2008 Breast Cancer Symposium seeks to disseminate emerging evidence-based data to oncology specialists. A study done by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Office of Education and Special Initiatives (OESI) in the spring of 2005 found that oncologists most frequently favored research findings as the basis of their clinical decision making.
3 Surveyed practitioners indicated that there is a gap between the care patients with cancer receive and the care indicated by current evidence. Through this meeting, the co-sponsors look to narrow this gap by providing a forum of review and discussion for oncologists. Of ASCO members, 65% of those who took part in this survey indicated they frequently rely on professional society meetings and conferences as a resource.
3 In an effort to further support dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices, the co-sponsors are holding the Breast Cancer Symposium. Efforts to have smaller, more focused meetings, which disseminate new treatments based on potential to improve patient outcomes were positively rated by 77% of respondents as a benefit to their practice implementation needs.
3
The 2008 Breast Cancer Symposium will also provide a medium for educational discussion and context for research presented at other nationally recognized scientific meetings. The conference will incorporate interactive and educational sessions such as educational symposia, panel deliberations, and oral abstract presentations.
- American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2008. Atlanta, GA; American Cancer Society; 2008.
- American Society of Clinical Oncology, Educational Needs Survey, unpublished.
- National Cancer Institute’s Office of Education Special Initiatives. A Study to Determine How to Improve the Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Cancer Care: Report of Practitioner Survey Findings. February 2006.
Target Audience
This symposium is designed for individuals with clinical and/or research interests in the prevention, screening, evaluation, and management of breast cancer including radiologists; medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists; pathologists; and translational-oriented laboratory scientists.
The program can also benefit nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, and all other health care professionals involved in clinical care and research in this area.
Disclaimer and Unlabelled Usage Statement
The information presented is that of the contributing faculty and does not necessarily represent the views of the American Society of Breast Disease, the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, the National Consortium of Breast Centers, Inc. and the Society of Surgical Oncology, and/or any named commercial entity providing financial support. Specific therapies discussed may not be approved and/or specified for use as indicated by the faculty presenters. Therefore, before prescribing any medication, please review the complete prescribing information including indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and adverse effects.
