International consensus meeting on the treatment of primary breast cancer 2001, St. Gallen, Switzerland

Summary

The role of sentinel node biopsy has increased over the last three years. Nodal status is no longer a main criterion for assignment of systemic adjuvant therapy. In premenopausal patients with clearly hormone dependent disease, endocrine therapy is standard irrespective of chemotherapy. An increased role, especially for goserelin and anthracyclines in the adjuvant therapy of breast cancer has been established. However, more large scale clinical trials are needed.

Several important questions have to be answered in the near future:

• • The role of ovarian function suppression associated with tamoxifen

• • The role of aromatase inhibitors

• • The usefulness of taxanes and the role of high dose chemotherapy in ER/PgR absent disease should be studied

• • The role of trastuzumab with chemotherapy should be clarified

The 9th International Conference on Adjuvant Therapy of Primary Breast Cancer (ABC) and Consensus Meeting is planned for March 13th-15th, 2003.