By Virginia Kaklamani, MD
SABCS® Co-Director,
SABCS® Executive and Program Planning Committees
Welcome to Day 1 of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium®, the world’s premier scientific symposium for researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates with a special interest in breast cancer. The SABCS® Executive and Program Planning Committees have assembled a robust and comprehensive program covering the latest research and the most important topics in breast cancer and premalignant breast disease.
The program kicks off this afternoon with three concurrent Special Sessions, all from 12:00 p.m.–1:55 p.m. The first is New Drug Approvals for Metastatic Breast Cancer (Hemisfair Ballroom 1–2), which will feature representatives from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration who will update attendees on important recent and pending breast cancer therapy approvals.
We all know that prevention and early detection are the best ways to “cure” breast cancer, and an international panel of experts will discuss several important and timely topics in this realm during the Special Session Prevention, Early Detection, and Interception (Stars at Night Ballroom 3-4).
The third of this afternoon’s Special Sessions, Social Determinants of Health: Impact on Cancer Care (Stars at Night Ballroom 1–2), features a diverse panel of clinicians, population scientists, and patient advocacy experts who will discuss the challenges and barriers to addressing social risks in vulnerable breast cancer patient populations.
Today’s program also includes two interesting and interactive workshops at 2:05 p.m., Clinical Workshop: Tumor Agnostic Approaches to Care (Stars at Night Ballroom 1-2) and Materials and Methods: Basic Science to Breast Oncology Workshop (Stars at Night Ballroom 3-4).
Later this afternoon, the first four of this year’s daily Educational Sessions will run concurrently beginning at 3:25 p.m. During the Educational Session Lobular Breast Cancer (Stars at Night Ballroom 1-2), a panel of accomplished researchers and clinicians will discuss the latest translational research and the distinct biology that makes this type of breast cancer unique in its presentation as well as in its treatment.
Obesity is the ongoing epidemic of the 21st century and has direct implications to breast cancer survival. The Educational Session Overcoming Obesity-Associated Breast Cancer Risk (Hemisfair Ballroom 1-2) will examine the obesity-breast cancer link, including diet, drug, and surgical approaches, as well as the impact of exercise on breast cancer outcomes.
Also at 3:25 p.m., the Educational Session Treatment Post-CDK 4/6 Inhibitors (Hemisfair Ballroom 3), will explore how the landscape of HR-positive metastatic breast cancer has changed dramatically with the approval of new agents such as oral SERDS, while the Educational Session Latest Trends in Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy (Stars at Night Ballroom 3-4) will look at the use of endocrine therapy in both pre- and postmenopausal women and the benefits of CDK 4/6 inhibitors and chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting.
Today’s scientific program wraps up with three concurrent Poster Spotlight Sessions at 5:30 p.m.— Less is More: Minimizing Surgical Treatment in Patients with Early Stage Breast Cancer (Stars at Night Ballroom 3-4), Improving QOL and Care Delivery for the Breast Cancer Patient (Hemisfair Ballroom 1-2), and Insights from Single Cell, Spatial, and Artificial Intelligence Approaches (Stars at Night Ballroom 1-2).
Check the meeting website for the most up-to-date schedule of everything going on this week at the 2023 SABCS and stay tuned to the SABCS Meeting News every day for important meeting updates, daily highlights, and select session previews and recaps.