The Milan Breast Cancer Conference mission has been from its first edition to provide state-of-the-art information on breast cancer research. The conference aims to achieve a balance of clinical, translational, and basic research, providing a forum for interaction, communication, and education for a broad spectrum of researchers, health professionals, and those with special interest in breast cancer.

The Milan Breast 2012 program has been developed around a fundamental concept: Breast cancer is not a single disease. Specific biological processes and distinct gene pathways are associated with prognosis and sensitivity to chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted agents in different subtypes
of breast cancers. A primary challenge for future treatment of patients with breast cancer will be to distinguish genes and pathways that “drive” cancer proliferation (drivers) from genes and pathways that have no primary role in the development of cancer (passengers). The identification of functional pathways that are enriched for mutated genes will select sub-population of patients that will most likely be sensitive to chemotherapy or to biology driven targeted agents.

Keeping this in mind, also locoregional treatment might become personalized according to specific subtypes of breast cancer, in order to maximize efficacy while minimizing the extent of treatment.

The program will address a clear perspective: The need for clinicians to keep pace with the rapidly growing body of knowledge on new molecular pathways, targets, biomarkers, drugs, genomic technologies at the same time, and update skills of care givers to integrate and use such new
technologies in daily clinical practice.

See you soon in Milan!
Aron Goldhirsch and Umberto Veronesi