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Review
. 2023 Apr;18(3):213-222.
doi: 10.1159/000530584. Epub 2023 Apr 7.

St. Gallen/Vienna 2023: Optimization of Treatment for Patients with Primary Breast Cancer - A Brief Summary of the Consensus Discussion

Marija Balic  1 , Christoph Thomssen  2 , Michael Gnant  3 , Nadia Harbeck  4
Affiliations
Review

St. Gallen/Vienna 2023: Optimization of Treatment for Patients with Primary Breast Cancer - A Brief Summary of the Consensus Discussion

Marija Balic et al. Breast Care (Basel). 2023 Apr.

Abstract

The St. Gallen Consensus Conference on early breast cancer treatment 2023 was again a live event and took place in Vienna, Austria. After 4 years and one virtual event due to the pandemic, more than 2,800 participants from over 100 countries came together in Vienna, and the 2023 St. Gallen/Vienna conference was a great success. Over 3 days, the global faculty reviewed the most important evidence published during the last 2 years and debated over controversial topics, and finally, the consensus votes aimed to define the impact of the new data on everyday routine practice. Focuses of this year's conference were radiotherapy and local management of the axilla, genetics, and their impact on treatment, as well as the role of the immune system and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in pathological reports and treatment decision-making. The traditional panel votes were moderated for the first time by Harold Burstein from Boston, and with questions previously voted on and live voting, the panel managed for the most part to clarify the critical questions. This report by editors of BREAST CARE summarizes the results of the 2023 international panel votes with respect to locoregional and systemic treatment as a brief news update but does not intend to replace the official St. Gallen Consensus publication that not just reports but also interprets the panel votes and will follow shortly in a major oncological journal. The next (19th) St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference will again take place in Vienna (save the date: March 12-15, 2025).

Keywords: Adjuvant treatment; Consensus; Early-stage breast cancer; Radiation; Surgery; Systemic treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Marija Balic reports consulting fees, lecture honoraria, advisory board memberships, and travel grants from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Lenis, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche, as well as research funding from Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, and Pfizer. Christoph Thomssen reports receiving honoraria for lectures for advisory boards and lectures for Amgen, AstraZeneca, Celgene, Daiichi Sankyo, Eisai, Eli Lilly, MSD, Mylan, NanoString, Novartis, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Roche, and Vifor as well as research support from American Diagnostica, Affymetrix, and NanoString. Michael Gnant reports personal fees/travel support from AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Menarini-Stemline, MSD, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, and Veracyte; an immediate family member is employed by Sandoz. Nadia Harbeck reports honoraria or consultation fees from the following entities: AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz, Sanofi, and Seagen.

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