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The Athena Breast Health Network: developing a rapid learning system in breast cancer prevention, screening, treatment, and care

  • Epidemiology
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Abstract

The term breast cancer covers many different conditions, whose clinical course ranges from indolent to aggressive. However, current practice in breast cancer prevention and care, and in breast cancer epidemiology, does not take into account the heterogeneity of the disease. A comprehensive understanding of the etiology and progression of different breast cancer subtypes would enable a more patient-centered approach to breast health care: assessing an individual’s risk of getting specific subtypes of the disease, providing risk-based screening and prevention recommendations, and, for those diagnosed with the disease, tailored treatment options based on risk and timing of progression and mortality. The Athena Breast Health Network is an initiative of the five University of California medical and cancer centers to prototype this approach and to enable the development of a rapid learning system—connecting risk and outcome information from a heterogeneous patient population in real time and using new knowledge from research to continuously improve the quality of care. The Network is based on integrating clinical and research processes to create a comprehensive approach to accelerating patient-centered breast health care. Since its inception in 2009, the Network has developed a multi-site, transdisciplinary collaboration that enables the learning system. The five-campus collaboration has implemented a shared informatics platform, standardized electronic patient intake questionnaires, and common biospecimen protocols, as well as new clinical programs and multi-center research projects. The Athena Breast Health Network can serve as a model of a rapid learning system that integrates epidemiologic, behavioral, and clinical research with clinical care improvements.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the University of California Office of the President and the Safeway Foundation; without their support this initiative never would have come to fruition.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Correspondence to Laura J. Esserman.

Additional information

The members of The Athena Breast Health Network are listed in the Appendix.

Appendix

Appendix

Members of the Athena Breast Health Network: Katherine Abihider, Michael Alvarado, Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Sophia Apple, Ronald Balassanian, Lawrence Bassett, John Bishop, Sarah Blair, Joan Bloom, Sarah Boles, Alexander Borowsky, Dejana Braithwaite, Claire Brindis, Julissa Cabrera, Lisa Cadmus-Bertram, Robert Cardiff, Philip M. Carpenter, Tony Chen, Yunn-Yi Chen, Beth Crawford, Brian Datnow, Ralph deVere White, Robert DuWors, John Einck, Jesse Engelberg, Stephen Feig, Joshua Fenton, Christopher Flowers, Kimberly Forbes, Barbara Fowble, Patricia Ganz, Judith Gasson, Ellen Gold, Deborah Goodman, Jacqueline Greynald, Anne Hoyt, Farnaz Hasteh, Teresa Helsten, David Hsiang, Dana Hughes, Sara Hurvitz, E. Shelley Hwang, Bonnie Joe, Celia Kaplan, Karla Kerlikowske, Khoban Kochai, Karen Lane, Kathryn Larsen, Tracy Layton, Tianhong Li, Fritz Lin, Elyse Love, Lisa Madlensky, Roslynn McGill, Christine E. McLaren, Rita S. Mehta, Michelle Melisko, Karen Messer, Jim Murry, Vishu Nandigam, Haydee Ojeda-Fournier, Elissa Ozanne, Hannah Lui Park, Ruth Patterson, Antonia Petruse, John Pierce, Elissa Price, Guita Rahbar, Nilam Ramsinghani, Mary Ann Rose, Hope Rugo, Lauren Ryan, Richard Schwab, Stephen Shortell, Dianne Shumay, Erica Silver, Alexandra Solomon, Hubert Stoppler, Jyotsna Vitale, Marlene vonFriederichs-Fitzwater, Anne Wallace, Lisa Weiss, Colin Wells, Neil Wenger, Dorota Wisner, Catheryn Yashar, Argyrios Ziogas, Elad Ziv.

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Elson, S.L., Hiatt, R.A., Anton-Culver, H. et al. The Athena Breast Health Network: developing a rapid learning system in breast cancer prevention, screening, treatment, and care. Breast Cancer Res Treat 140, 417–425 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-013-2612-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-013-2612-0

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