As a cancer care specialist, it can be easy to become hyperfocused on your area of expertise within your subspecialty. But that’s exactly what ASCO wants its members—in all specialties—to avoid.
The theme of this year’s Breast Cancer Symposium—Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Clinical Management—reflects that sentiment perfectly. The meeting, to be held in San Francisco from Saturday, September 7, to Monday, September 9, will bring together medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, and other members of the breast-care team to discuss the latest research in order to strengthen collaborative treatment approaches.
“The goal of the Symposium is to keep the members of the various specialties abreast of new data and ongoing controversies from other specialties,” explained William M. Sikov, MD, FACP, Associate Professor of Medicine at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Co-Chair of this year’s Symposium.
Education across the Breast-care Team
“We want to make sure, for example, that medical oncologists are aware of important advances and unresolved questions that influence decisions being made by radiation oncologists and breast surgeons, and vice versa,” Dr. Sikov continued. “We bring experts in from each of those areas to educate attendees from their own specialty as well as those from other areas of expertise within the multidisciplinary breast-care team.”
The Symposium facilitates interactive discussions about the latest treatment strategies, which treatment plans achieve optimal outcomes, and the effect of choosing one course of action over another.
Meet the Professor Offerings Doubled
The popular Meet the Professor sessions have been expanded, and now there will be six instead of three. These intimate sessions feature a prominent professor who lectures for about 25 minutes on a timely topic, followed by 25 minutes of small-group discussions. The sessions are limited to 75 people and fill up fast. Attendees may request a complimentary ticket for a Meet the Professor Session during the online registration process.
Fellows to Get More Interaction
The Symposium planning committees are launching a new Fellows, Residents, and Junior Faculty Track at the Symposium, offering trainees and young attendings programming geared especially to them. Meena S. Moran, MD, Associate Professor in Therapeutic Radiology at Yale University, Medical Director at the Backus Breast Center, and Co-Chair-Elect for the 2014 Breast Cancer Symposium, is this year’s Chair of the Fellows, Residents, and Junior Faculty Track.
Dr. Moran has been involved with the fellows, residents, and junior faculty networking session for the last several years, which offered small group discussions with faculty geared to young physicians. But feedback showed that fellows, residents, and junior faculty wanted more interaction, Dr. Moran said. They will now have an evening networking reception, an interactive session on how to give talks and write papers, and a Best of Journals Literature Review.
In the Best of Journals Literature Review, explained Dr. Moran, “One surgeon, one radiation oncologist, and one medical oncologist will spend 20 minutes on each of the most important papers from the last year, putting them in context and explaining their medical relevance.”
Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award
The ASCO Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award and Lecture will also be presented at the Symposium. First given in 2007, it recognizes an active clinical and/or translational researcher with a distinguished record of advancing the field of breast cancer and showing exceptional mentoring abilities. The award provides $50,000 to a fellow in the institution of the award recipient.
This year’s recipient is Larry Norton, MD, Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Breast Cancer Programs and Medical Director of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. In addition, he is the founding incumbent of the Norna S. Sarofim Chair of Clinical Oncology and a Professor of Medicine in the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Dr. Norton has dedicated his life to the eradication of cancer through participation in medical care, laboratory and clinical research, advocacy, and government.
For more information about the 2013 Breast Cancer Symposium and to register, please visit breastcasym.org. ■
© 2013. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
