St. Gallen Report 2013

This app presents a 25-page report of 13th St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Consensus Conference highlighting some of the controversial areas discussed during this meeting and is intended for healthcare professionals.

The recognition that early breast cancer is a spectrum of diseases each requiring a specific systemic therapy guided the consensus conference.

The meeting comprised of 3,600 participants from nearly 90 countries worldwide, which included clinical oncologists, pathologists, surgeons, gynaecologists, epidemiologists, breast cancer nurses and basic scientists.

The consensus conference was co-chaired by Aron Goldhirsch (Switzerland/Italy) and Eric Winer (USA). The consensus was generated when panel members considered and voted on a number of questions in key areas of controversy.

Educational content centred on the primary and multidisciplinary treatment approach of early breast cancer. On the final day, the meeting culminated with the St. Gallen Breast Cancer Treatment Consensus, which was established by the world’s most skilled opinion leaders in the field of breast cancer treatment.

The principal aim of the 2013 St Gallen consensus conference was to provide rational recommendations for personalising the approach to treatment of early breast cancer in women.

The key issues that were highlighted included:

1. Tumour biology to determine responsiveness to various treatments

2. Tumour extent to estimate the level of benefit when justifying treatment for the individual patient

3. Estimates of the risks of therapy and patient preference to define preferred management

The areas of controversy discussed during the meeting were: 

1. Surgery of the primary

2. Surgery of the axilla

3. Radiation - partial breast, post-mastectomy, nodal areas, advanced technologies

4. Pathology

5. Multigene signatures

6. Stroma - extracellular matrix and prognosis

7. Endocrine therapies—ovarian suppression, tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors

8. Chemotherapies - luminal A, duration, regimen

9. Anti-HER2 therapies - combination, duration

10. Neo-adjuvant systemic therapy

11. Bisphosphonates - anti-tumour effects

12. Follow-up after early breast cancer