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Welcome
Dear colleagues and members of the breast cancer global community,
The 1st International Consensus Conference for Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC1), which took place in Lisbon, Portugal in November 2011, brought together 800 participants from 64 countries worldwide to develop a set of consensus guidelines for the management of advanced breast cancer (ABC). Participants – including health professionals, patient advocates and journalists – agreed to a series of guidelines, which are based on the most up-to-date evidence and can be used to guide treatment decision making in diverse health care settings globally.
ABC Consensus Conferences have the ambitious goal of improving outcomes for all patients with advanced breast cancer. We believe that, backed by strong political advocacy, ABC guidelines will raise standards of care, improve awareness about how best to meet the needs of this underserved group of patients, and help identify research priorities so that clinical research is focused on the most important areas of unmet need.
The guidelines developed at ABC1 have been welcomed by a broad spectrum of professional and patient organizations active in breast cancer setting. Discussions are on-going with a number of international oncology societies regarding the endorsement of the guidelines that will greatly increase their impact globally.
Furthermore, we are pleased to announce that the ABC2 guidelines will be developed in co-operation with ESMO and will be endorsed by EUSOMA, FLAM and SIS.
The encouragement and positive feedback we have received from individual patients and professionals has emphasised the importance of this initiative and reinforced our belief that this effort is worth pursuing in the long term.
It is therefore with great enthusiasm that we invite you to attend the Advanced Breast Cancer Second International Consensus Conference (ABC2) that will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, on 7-9 November 2013.
ABC2 will have a specific additional program for breast cancer advocates coordinated by some of the major breast cancer advocacy groups worldwide.
By working together we can change the dismal survival figures associated with ABC and improve the quality of life of all patients living with ABC worldwide.
Conference chairs:
Fatima Cardoso Eric P. Winer Larry Norton Alberto Costa
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