Study Findings From First Annual Breast Cancer Symposium Announced, USA

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 08 Sep 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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New breast cancer research was released on the eve of the first annual Breast Cancer Symposium, co-sponsored by 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, and the Society of Surgical Oncology. The inaugural symposium is being held at the San Francisco Marriott on September 7 and 8.

"The Breast Cancer Symposium will help physicians across disciplines apply new genetic and molecular discoveries to the care of patients with breast cancer in an intimate and interactive setting," said Julie R. Gralow, MD, an associate professor of medical oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the moderator of the press briefing. "The studies highlighted today improve our understanding about racial differences in the biology of breast cancer, the association between treatment adherence and a patient's risk of death, and significant side effects associated with a growing class of breast cancer drugs."

It is estimated that more than 180,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2007, and more than 40,000 people will die from the disease.

Highlighted studies include:

- An analysis of racial differences in rates of estrogen receptor-negative (ER-negative) breast cancer finding that black women are more likely than white women to have this form of aggressive, difficult-to-treat breast cancer.

- A large retrospective study showing that women who take less than 70 percent of their tamoxifen prescriptions are at increased risk of death.

- A multicenter study finding that breast cancer drugs in the aromatase inhibitors class are associated with musculoskeletal side effects that result in 13 percent of women discontinuing their therapy.

http://www.asco.org

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