27th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference

Summary and Purpose

CME-Certified Conference

The optimal care of patients with breast cancer is rapidly changing as a result of advances in all aspects of patient care, including prevention, screening, and detection, as well as in the primary treatment modalities of surgery, radiation therapy, cytotoxic chemotherapy, and novel biologic therapies. There is an increasing focus on providing multidisciplinary care for patients with complex diseases such as breast cancer through the use of integrated teams of professionals representing the relevant treatment modalities, including surgery, radiation, and systemic medical interventions.

The multidisciplinary Miami Breast Cancer Conference has been bringing together surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists for 27 years, with the aim of fostering awareness of the state-of-the-art treatments in each therapeutic area and encouraging cross-team cooperation back in the clinic. At the 27th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference, pioneers of innovative approaches in each of these subspecialties will provide insight into the optimal multidisciplinary management of patients with breast cancer and its application to practice.

Target Audience

This educational program is directed toward medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists in order to provide a comprehensive update on new data and recent advances in surgery and systemic therapy that are critical to the optimal management of patients with breast cancer. Fellows, nurses, and pharmacists in oncology interested in the treatment of breast cancer are also invited to attend.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this conference, you should be able to:

• Discuss recent advances in the screening and identification of individuals at high risk for developing breast cancer as well as indications for preventative management strategies such as prophylactic mastectomy and chemoprevention
• Review current treatment options for benign breast disease, including cosmetic surgery considerations
• Summarize the latest advances in imaging techniques for the detection of breast cancer
• Compare sentinel lymph node biopsy to conventional axillary node dissection
• Evaluate genomic and proteomic tools for elucidating the biology of breast cancer, identifying new therapeutic targets, assessing recurrence risk, predicting benefit from chemotherapy, and individualizing therapeutic decision making
• Discuss the clinical significance of isolated tumor cells and micrometastases in lymph nodes
• Explain the biology of metastases, patterns of spread, the role of cancer stem cells, and implications for therapeutic design
• Review advances in oncoplastic techniques such as skin-sparing mastectomy, breast-conserving surgery for central lesions, lipofilling, whole-breast reconstruction, DIEP flap, and GAP flap
• Implement proper surgical planning and use of specialized techniques, including breast-conserving surgery and sentinel node biopsy
• Incorporate radiation therapy for early and advanced breast cancer to improve outcomes and quality of life
• Apply innovations in radiation oncology treatment planning and delivery
• Assess the influence of clinical factors on local recurrence and review management options
• Incorporate optimal chemotherapy selection in the adjuvant setting
• Debate endocrine treatment options for patients with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, including strategies for the integration of aromatase inhibitors into adjuvant regimens and strategies for overcoming resistance
• Evaluate the role of bone-targeted agents for the management of bone loss and the potential for prevention of metastases
• Discuss the treatment of HER2⁺ breast cancer, including patient selection for adjuvant targeted therapy and the development of novel therapeutics for relapsed/refractory metastatic disease
• Evaluate emerging strategies for the treatment of metastatic disease, including novel microtubule-targeted agents and novel combinations with antiangiogenic agents
• Assess the basis for and utility of emerging therapies for triple-negative breast cancer, including poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors
• Evaluate current and emerging strategies for ameliorating or eliminating therapy-associated adverse events, including premature ovarian failure and lymphedema
• Review the most recent breast cancer treatment data from major international oncology meetings

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