Europe's Largest Forum On Breast Cancer

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Also Included In: Conferences;  Genetics;  Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 26 Mar 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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What is EBCC?

The most exciting breast cancer conference in Europe, it is the only one that involves all the major players in breast cancer. The conference encourages interaction and collaboration between clinicians, scientists and patients in a partnership of equals to talk not just about scientific advances, but also the ethical, social, political, and practical issues associated with caring for patients with breast cancer. EBCC-6 is expected to attract over 5000 delegates from around 90 countries worldwide.

Here is a sample of the new results to be announced at the conference:

* Hereditary breast cancer - a high cost to patient and healthcare provider alike; why women may choose prophylactic mastectomy rather than go through years of stressful screening programmes

* How obese women are doubly disadvantaged; they do worse in both breast cancer treatment and diagnosis

* MRI before surgery can lead to better adapted treatment for breast cancer; should this become a standard procedure?

* Pregnant patients lose out in breast cancer treatment; a new approach is needed

* New chemotherapy combo produces side effects, but no extra efficacy, in early breast cancer patients

* Are aromatase inhibitors associated with increased heart problems? Important new evidence

* New type of drug shrinks primary breast cancer tumours significantly in just six weeks; research provides leads to a new target in breast cancer treatment - the stem cell

* Chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer: does it work best against sporadic tumours, or those associated with a BRCA1/2 genetic mutation?

* Breast cancer screening: is an annual mammogram better than a three-yearly one, and should women continue to be screened up to the age of 75? New evidence

* Can acupuncture provide effective relief from hot flushes in women who are suffering menopause-like symptoms as a result of taking tamoxifen?

* Results from the largest multi-centre trial to investigate the combination of trastuzumab and neoadjuvant chemotherapy for women with HER2 positive tumours provides surprising new data on safety and efficacy

* New study reveals that countries could save millions of Euros on follow-up care for breast cancer patients

* Breast tumours behave differently depending on whether women are older or younger than 70. Is the immune system involved?

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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6th EBCC Conference to be held in Berlin, Germany from 15th to 19th April, 2008

To find full details of the programme: Visit the EBCC-6 web site

Source: Mary Rice
ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation