From March 12-15, 2025, Vienna will be dedicated to breast health: around 5,000 national and international experts will meet at the Austria Center Vienna for the 19th St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference (SGBCC).
The high-level conference offers updates on all relevant aspects of the treatment of early breast cancer (EBC), lectures on the current state of science and discussions on controversial topics. The most important clinical recommendations for the treatment of patients with early breast cancer, the St. Gallen Breast Cancer Consensus Guidelines, are developed at the SGBCC. In addition, the focus is on networking between the Austrian and international health communities. The Who's Who of breast cancer experts will meet in Vienna for the SGBCC. Participants from over 100 countries and all continents are expected.
High-caliber international and Austrian panel
Among others, the renowned oncologist and breast cancer researcher Dr. Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston and professor at Harvard Medical School, who will act as moderator of the consensus conference, is also expected in Vienna. The head of the scientific committee is Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Curigliano from Milan, who is internationally recognized for his research into new cancer therapies for the treatment of breast cancer and was recently elected as the future president of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). Austria is also represented by excellent representatives: In addition to Prof. Dr. Michael Gnant, the host and chairman of the conference, and Prof. Dr. Christian Singer, both from the Medical University of Vienna, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zsuzsanna Bago-Horvath from the Clinical Institute of Pathology and Senior Physician Dr. Daniela Kauer-Dorner from the University Clinic for Radio-Oncology will be speaking for the first time this year.
Worldwide recommendations for the treatment of early breast cancer
The St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference (SGBCC) of the Foundation for Oncological Education and Congresses (SONK), with its president, Prof. Christoph Senn, is one of the most important platforms worldwide for the exchange of the latest findings in breast cancer research and treatment, with a special focus on the treatment of early breast cancer. “The founding idea behind the SGBCC is international collaboration at the highest level, with the aim of defining practical recommendations for everyday clinical practice,” says Prof. Walter Weber, Chief Physician and Medical Director of the Department at the University Hospital Basel, founder of the successful Oncoplastic Breast Consortium (OPBC) and member of the SGBCC Scientific Committee. An important milestone on this journey was the establishment of the St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Consensus Guidelines, a pioneering framework that continues to shape the treatment of breast cancer patients worldwide and provides practical recommendations for everyday clinical practice.
Based on the current state of breast cancer research and the findings of the leading oncology networks, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), specific practical recommendations are developed. “The method of the consensus conference is used,” adds Weber. International speakers from major breast cancer research groups and centers will participate in this. “The discussion among colleagues before the St. Gallen Breast Cancer Consensus Guidelines are written is always an excellent opportunity to optimally adapt and reevaluate the latest standards and therapeutic measures for patients,” says Prof. Dr. in Sibylle Loibl, President of the GBG – German Breast Group, CEO of GBG Forschungs GmbH, Professor (apl) at the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and member of the SGBCC Scientific Committee.
The conference in Vienna will end with the renowned St. Gallen Consensus Meeting, where the recommendations of the world's leading experts on the treatment of early breast cancer will be formulated and published in the renowned journal “Annals of Oncology”. “For a few days, the international breast cancer world will be looking to Vienna as researchers in oncology define the new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of early breast cancer. These guidelines will have a significant impact on clinical practice in over 150 countries,” says Gnant.
Greater awareness of early breast cancer
Breast cancer patients in Austria benefit from the international conference through the high level of awareness that the meeting place of cutting-edge research achieves in this country. Before, during and after the congress, attention is drawn to relevant topics such as early detection or early therapy. Dr. Tanja Schneider, representative of Europa Donna Austria, also sees this event as an important contribution to her role in educating and informing patients: “The SGBCC summarizes the scientific findings from around the world. The experts determine the direction that therapy will take in the future, and it is precisely these developments that we have to bring from science to patients by formulating the guidelines in a language that is understandable and appropriate for the target group,” says Schneider, describing her task of closing the gap to informed patients, because: ”Many are unaware of how well our country is networked with the international scientific community. We show that the treatment of early breast cancer is becoming increasingly individualized, thus improving the outcome and quality of life for those affected.” ‘It is a great honor that this high-level congress is now held regularly in Vienna,’ Schneider also emphasizes.
Program, information and registration: https://www.sg-bcc.org
For further information: Verein PRAVENIRE - Society for the Optimization of Solidary Healthcare
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