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Breakthroughs in research and treatment of early breast cancer: an overview of the last three decades

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Abstract

Breast cancer has become curable for the majority of women in Western Europe and North America. Advances have been made in imaging diagnostics as well as the implementation of nationwide screening programmes. Nowadays, we talk about prevention as well as treatment. Pathology has moved from pure morphology (tumour type, grade and stage) to biological characterisation of the tumour. Treatment has changed considerably through a better understanding of the disease; from a local disease predominated by extensive and mutilating surgical techniques to a point where breast cancer has come into its own as a systemic disease with equal “rights” to local as well as systemic treatment. This paradigm shift has led to a multidisciplinary approach of the understanding and treatment of breast cancer. Molecular classification has changed the understanding of breast cancer and will be the basis for an even more individualised treatment. New (biological) agents will help to further tailor treatment to response or resistance. While systemic treatment has been increased in number and duration surgical/local strategies have been reduced to minimum. Evidence-based medicine has helped to improve and standardise treatment of breast cancer. This review summarises the 10th Biedenkopf meeting that was held to review the advances in breast cancer understanding and treatment.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the independent, non-profit BANSS Foundation, Biedenkopf/Lahn, Germany, for financial support, and the GBG Forschungs-GmbH, Neu-Isenberg, Germany for logistical support of the meeting. All members of the panel had input in the discussion and formulation of the article. The symposium as well as the manuscript preparation was conducted independent of the pharmaceutical industry. The report was drafted entirely by the meeting participants without any paid assistance.

Conflict of interest

None of the co-authors has any conflict of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, J. W. Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

    Manfred Kaufmann

  2. German Breast Group, Martin-Behaim-Str. 12, 63263, Neu-Isenburg, Germany

    Gunter von Minckwitz & Sibylle Loibl

  3. Radiumhemmet, Karolinska Oncology, Stockholm, Sweden

    Jonas Bergh

  4. Manchester University, Manchester, UK

    Jonas Bergh

  5. Divisione di Oncologia Medica 2, Universitá die Padua Regione del Veneto, Padua, Italy

    Pier-Franco Conte

  6. Clinical Trial Service Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Sarah Darby

  7. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rot-Kreuz Krankenhaus, Munich, Germany

    Wolfgang Eiermann

  8. The Christie Hospital and University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Antony Howell

  9. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Technical University München, Munich, Germany

    Marion Kiechle

  10. Department of Medical Oncology, General Hospital of Lamia, Lamia, Greece

    Davide Mauri

  11. Tumor und Brustzentrum ZeTuP St. Gallen and St. Gallen Oncology Conferences, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Hans-Jörg Senn

  12. Department of Pathology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Giuseppe Viale

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  1. Manfred Kaufmann
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Correspondence to Sibylle Loibl.

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Kaufmann, M., von Minckwitz, G., Bergh, J. et al. Breakthroughs in research and treatment of early breast cancer: an overview of the last three decades. Arch Gynecol Obstet 288, 1203–1212 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-013-3069-4

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