Each year, the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium^® offers patient advocacy organizations invaluable opportunities to connect and share survivorship stories with partners from around the world.

SABCS^® 2024 was a melting pot where more than 500 patient advocates exchanged ideas, explored novel data, and shared their passion and perspective with thousands of other researchers, clinicians, and industry representatives. SABCS 2025 has continued to incorporate advocates into every aspect of the symposium, from program planning to session panel discussions and beyond, including into the Exhibition Hall.

This approach provides advocates with exposure to novel data, while simultaneously better informing the perspectives of the physicians and researchers who come to SABCS to present, learn, and network, said Terry Arnold, Founder of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Network Foundation.

“I think that hearing from patient advocates provides that lived-experience piece that is so key for researchers and scientists, so it really makes them want to get engaged,” Arnold said.

A symbiotic relationship

Patient advocates will be participating as panelists in more than 25 prominent sessions across this year’s program, on topics such as use of liquid biopsy, breast cancer risk assessment and management in young women, hormone replacement therapy, and the tumor immune microenvironment. Patient advocates also will discuss disease-specific updates and current standards of care involving antibody-drug conjugates, CDK4/6 inhibitors, and other systemic, radiation-based, and surgical approaches.

“SABCS is an exciting opportunity for us,” said Young Survival Coalition Executive Director Mary Ajango, “because we can bring the young-adult patient voice directly to the researchers and clinicians so that we can make sure they are including young adults and young adult patients in their study designs and best practices.”

To help ensure that all patients are being fully represented in research, some patient advocacy organizations sponsor research grants. This year, the IBC Network Foundation, in collaboration with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), is providing five $1,000 grants to support the participation and presentation of five highly rated abstracts focusing on inflammatory breast cancer research.

The SABCS is proud to offer significantly discounted registration rates, including free virtual registration, and some financial aid scholarships for patient advocates who work or volunteer for nonprofit organizations. In addition, several patient advocacy organizations provide travel assistance for patients and advocates to come to the symposium and attend advocate-focused events and training, as well as to share their experiences with attendees in the SABCS Exhibition Hall’s Patient Advocacy Pavilion, which is supported by Pfizer.

For example, the Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance has three ambassadors coming to SABCS 2025 from New Jersey, Florida, and San Antonio — a local who makes a point to attend the symposium each year. According to Cheri Ambrose, Founder of the Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance, ambassadors are a vital part of the organization’s mission.

“Ambassadors reach out to other men in their state or country — we have them in the U.K., Australia, Belgium, Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and now Zambia — to help them identify resources for their care and connect them with support networks,” Ambrose said. “The ambassadors also come to SABCS to share their experiences of being men with breast cancer with clinicians and researchers.”

Other patient advocacy organizations providing grants for symposium attendance include the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation, IBC Network Foundation, Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance, and Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Alliance.

Learning the lay of the land

Patient advocacy organizations also use SABCS as an opportunity to provide live advocate training and networking opportunities. The Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation holds special mentoring and education sessions each year during SABCS, both on-site and virtually. This program provides expert insights on advocate questions regarding novel data, and daily educational programs focused on additional advocate-focused scientific information. 

In addition, Susan G. Komen San Antonio is hosting a free event designed to help empower patients, survivors, and caregivers. The MBC Alliance and ABC Global Alliance are co-hosting a workshop to help ensure high-quality patient-physician communication and to help patients transition into advocates. There is also an advocate program sponsored by Lilly in the Patient Advocate Lounge at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

“Advocacy is crucial in breast cancer, but patients don’t start out as advocates — you’ve got to learn the lay of the land. An advocate knows how to consistently knock on doors and ask reasonable questions. You have to know what you’re asking for and send out a consistent, married message. You can’t just stomp your feet. That’s not advocacy,” said Arnold, who is a previous Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation participant.

The SABCS provides a robust list of advocate attendee resources at sabcs.org/patient-advocates. A list of survivorship-related sessions is below, but be sure to check the SABCS online program or Program Planner for advocate participation in scientific and educational sessions throughout the entirety of the symposium.

Survivorship-related Sessions

Special Session 1: Open Bar and All You Can Eat? The Impact of Lifestyle in Breast Cancer Risk and Recurrence
Tuesday, December 9
11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT
Stars at Night Ballroom 1-2

Poster Spotlight 1: Addressing Breast Cancer Disparities and Treatment Related Toxicities
Wednesday, December 10
7:00 to 8:30 a.m. CT
Hemisfair Ballroom 3

Poster Spotlight 8: Beyond the Scale—Obesity and GLP-1 Therapies in Breast Cancer
Thursday, December 11
7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. CT
Room 221 ABC

Educational Session 13: Optimizing Cardiac Outcomes in Breast Cancer—The Next Chapter
Thursday, December 11
2:30 to 4:15 p.m. CT
Room 221 ABC

Beyond Cancer: Addressing Body Image, Hair Loss, and Skin Health After Treatment
Friday, December 12
1:00 to 2:50 p.m. CT
Room 221 ABC