• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

American Society of Breast Surgeons Meeting Being Held in Los Angeles, March 16-20; Largest Assembly of Breast Cancer Experts to Share Cutting-Edge Research

Posted on: Thursday, 3 March 2005, 09:00 CST

The American Society of Breast Surgeons today announced its upcoming 6th Annual Meeting, taking place March 16-20 at the Westin Century Plaza Hotel & Spa in Los Angeles. This is the largest gathering of physicians specifically devoted to the advancement of surgical treatments and techniques for the treatment of breast disease. The American Society of Breast Surgeons, the nation's leading organization of surgeons who treat patients with breast disease, hosts this forum annually for the surgical community to learn about the latest scientific data and clinical research on diagnostics and therapies, to discuss controversial medical and ethical issues and to participate in courses on the newest procedures intended to improve the quality of care for the more than one million patients who undergo breast surgery each year in the United States.

"This meeting is widely recognized as the premier forum for surgeons who treat breast disease to exchange, debate and discuss the latest trends and advancements affecting their patients and practices," said Lorraine Tafra, M.D., President of The American Society of Breast Surgeons and Director of the Breast Center at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland. "Our conference presenters and session chairs will lead discussions on the latest in surgical techniques, screening, genomics, radiation, clinical research and reimbursement among other topics with the goal of providing our patients with better breast cancer care."

This year's meeting highlights include:

-- Breakthroughs and advances in imaging and diagnostics for breast cancer--PET Scan, MRI Techniques, mammogram and new research in metabolic imaging to monitor abnormally active tissues at a molecular level for early diagnosis

-- Oncoplastic Surgery--a recent addition to the surgical arsenal for breast cancer treatment is breast-conserving surgery to remove cancerous tumors combined with new techniques for better cosmetic outcomes for breast cancer patients

-- Hormonal Issues--risk/rewards of oral contraceptive pills and hormone replacement therapy, menopause and premature menopause management, and IVF/pregnancy and breast cancer

-- Targeted Therapies--genomic and proteomic markers for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, such as estrogen and growth factor receptors, individualized cancer therapies based on molecular diagnostics and basal vs. luminal breast cancer

-- Latest Clinical Research & Patient Registries--The National Cancer Institute's National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) recently launched study comparing partial breast irradiation with whole-breast radiation to validate long-term efficacy of partial breast irradiation.

"Every year our members give us great feedback on the meeting. We have taken their suggestions and incorporated as many of them as possible into this meeting. This year we have abstracts from all over the world and have expanded our pre-meeting courses as well as the entire scientific program," said Peter D. Beitsch, M.D., FACS, Annual Meeting Program Chair and Director of the Dallas Breast Center. "The American Society of Breast Surgeons Annual Meeting will once again present our members with the latest in technology and science that will be able to be incorporated into their practices when they return home."

The industry's leading companies will participate in commercial exhibits showcasing the latest technology and newest procedures. Companies such as AstraZeneca, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., GE Healthcare, Intraop, Naviscan PET Systems, Inc., Novartis Oncology, Pfizer, Inc., Proxima Therapeutics, Rubicor Medical, Inc., Sanarus Medical, Inc., Sanofi-Aventis Oncology, SenoRx, Inc., and Xoft, Inc. will be among more than 60 exhibiting companies at the meeting.

For information on this and other topics of discussion on the conference agenda, please visit http://www.breastsurgeons.org/PDF/Prelim_program_final1.pdf

About The American Society of Breast Surgeons

Founded in 1995, The American Society of Breast Surgeons represents over 2,200 surgeons nationwide and is one of the fastest growing subspecialty surgical groups in the country. It was formed to encourage the study of breast surgery, promote research and development of advanced surgery techniques, improve standards of practice for breast surgery in the United States and serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas. For more information, please visit The American Society of Breast Surgeons' website at www.breastsurgeons.org.

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category