Harvard Breast Cancer New Horizons, Current Controversies 2025

Harvard Breast Cancer New Horizons, Current Controversies 2025

 

Target Audience: surgical, and radiation oncologists, breast surgeons 

 Information:

Breast Cancer: New Horizons, Current Controversies is a comprehensive educational curriculum that encompasses the full range of breast cancer care. Topics include mechanisms of disease, improvements in diagnostic methods, treatment innovations, and management of breast cancer survivors. The primary goal of the course is to improve the knowledge, competence, and clinical skills of health care professionals who specialize in oncology. As such, the curriculum is well suited for medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists; breast and general surgeons; internists; physician assistants; nurse practitioners; oncology nurses; and other clinicians involved in the care of breast cancer patients.

The two-day course is taught by clinical experts in medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, and pathology. Each year, the course faculty identify emerging practice gaps in breast oncology and address those gaps by translating the latest scientific knowledge into practical clinical applications. Course participants engage with the material through interactive learning formats, including group case discussions, question and answer sessions, and panel presentations. This interactive learning process assists healthcare professionals in integrating the latest evidence-based information on breast cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term monitoring into their clinical practices.

This year, we will be again offering an in-person program as well as a livestream for those who still do not feel comfortable traveling to Boston. Continuing with the livestream allows participants to engage with our faculty from the convenience of their own community, be it in Boston or across the globe. This hybrid format worked very well last year and is appropriate given both the range of potential attendees and persistent uncertainty over travel and large group gatherings.

The timing of the course for summer 2025 is particularly fortuitous owing to the extraordinary progress happening in breast cancer. In the last two years, we have seen transformative breakthroughs in all types of breast cancer treatment:

• FDA approval of novel antibody-drug conjugates for the treatment of advanced hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive, and triple-negative breast cancer, with new data showing benefit of these agents in tumor types beyond their initial application.
• FDA approval of the first-in-class oral SERD elacestrant in hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer, with companion diagnostic genomic testing for targetable ESR1 mutations.
• FDA approval of the AKT pathway inhibitor capivasertib in combination with fulvestrant for patients with hormone receptor-positive, PIK3CA/AKT/PTEN-mutant metastatic breast cancer and reported phase III data of another agent in this class (inavolisib).
• FDA approval of the CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib in high-risk, early-stage hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, and mature data showing compelling benefits including overall survival for this class of drugs in advanced breast cancer, as well as preliminary reports of a second agent in this class (ribociclib) with adjuvant efficacy.
• FDA approval of a novel antibody-drug conjugate for patients with a HER2-low metastatic breast cancer.

Learning Objectives

• Apply knowledge of recent clinical data together with current expert recommendations to patient selection for new and emerging therapies for advanced breast cancer.
• Select appropriate risk assessment modalities, where applicable, and make evidence-based therapeutic selections for women who are candidates for neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy and know the limitations of genomic testing.
• Apply recent clinical data and expert recommendations to the management of women with breast cancer who are treated with mastectomy, including integration of surgical methods, breast reconstruction options, and post-mastectomy radiation if needed.
• Assess current practices regarding symptom management during active treatment and in survivorship and consider the needs for fertility and lifestyle counseling among patients with breast cancer and survivors and improve current practices if needed.
• Evaluate the genetic and personal risk factors of breast cancer and utilize appropriate genetic testing for hereditary breast cancer.

Participant Types

Nurse Practitioners, Primary Care Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Pharmacists, and Specialty Physicians

 

 

 Topics:

Day 1 – Thursday, July 17, 2025

 Advances in Radiation Therapy, Pathology, and Breast Cancer Management

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Welcoming Remarks

 Harold Burstein 8:00 – 8:15 am

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Session I: Radiation Oncology

TimeSession TitleSpeaker(s)8:15 – 8:35 am50 Years of Radiation TherapyAbram Recht8:35 – 8:55 amStandard Radiation Therapy: The Long and the ShortJulia Wong8:55 – 9:15 amThe Future of Breast Radiation TherapyAtif Khan9:15 – 9:35 amRadiopharmaceuticalsHeather Jacene9:35 – 9:50 amQ&AAbram Recht, Atif Khan, Julia Wong, Heather Jacene

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Session II: Pathology

TimeSession TitleSpeaker(s)9:50 – 10:10 amLobular Breast CancerStuart Schnitt10:10 – 10:30 amctDNA: The Evolving Role for Molecular DiagnosticsStefania Morganti10:30 – 10:45 amQ&AStuart Schnitt, Stefania Morganti

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Special Lecture

 11:00 – 11:40 am Sydney Smith & Julie Bosworth What’s New in Supportive Care: Management of Gastrointestinal Side Effects

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TimeSession TitleSpeaker(s)11:00 – 11:20 amEssentials of Germline GeneticsJudy Garber11:20 – 11:40 amQ&AJulie Bosworth, Sydney Smith, Judy Garber

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Schwartz Rounds: A Complex Case

 Ann Partridge 11:50 am – 12:20 pm 12:20 – 12:30 pm

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Tumor Board: Early Breast Cancer

TimeSpeaker(s)12:40 – 1:40 pmHarold Burstein, Faina Nakhlis, Julia Wong, Brittany Bychkovsky, Adrienne Waks, Filipa Lynce, Elizabeth Mittendorf

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Session III: HER2 Positive Breast Cancer

TimeSession TitleSpeaker(s)1:50 – 2:10 pmNew Approaches in Early Stage HER2 Positive Breast CancerAdrienne Waks2:10 – 2:30 pmThe Progress Continues: Late Stage HER2 Positive Breast CancerSarah Sammons2:30 – 2:50 pmCan We Cure Metastatic Breast Cancer?Nancy Lin2:50 – 3:05 pmQ&ASara Tolaney, Sarah Sammons, Nancy Lin, Adrienne Waks

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Special Lecture

 3:20 – 4:35 pm Erica Warner, Filipa Lynce, Antonio Giordano, Jennifer Ligibel

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TimeSession TitleSpeaker(s)3:20 – 3:45 pmRacial Differences in Breast Cancer Survival Between Black and White Women According to Tumor SubtypeErica Warner3:45 – 4:10 pmInflammatory Breast CancerFilipa Lynce4:10 – 4:35 pmEarly Drug Discovery in Breast CancerAntonio Giordano4:35 – 5:00 pmLifestyle/Diet/Exercise in Breast Cancer PatientsJennifer Ligibel

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Reception

 5:00 – 6:00 pm

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Day 2 – Friday, July 18, 2025

 Surgical Interventions and Advanced Breast Cancer Treatment

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Session IV: Surgery

TimeSession TitleSpeaker(s)8:00 – 8:20 amOncoplastic Reconstruction: Common Indications and OutcomesIndranil Sinha8:20 – 8:40 amThe Axilla After Neoadjuvant Therapy: How Much Is Too Much?Elizabeth Mittendorf8:40 – 9:00 amImplications of the SOUND TrialOlga Kantor9:00 – 9:20 amCryoblation Instead of SurgeryFrancys Verdial9:20 – 9:35 amQ&ABarbara Smith, Indranil Sinha, Olga Kantor, Francys Verdial, Elizabeth Mittendorf

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Schlager Lecture: Immunotherapy in Early Breast Cancer: Today and Tomorrow

 Marleen Kok 9:35 – 10:20 am

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Session V: Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)

TimeSession TitleSpeaker(s)10:35 – 10:55 amSmall TNBCs: How Small Is Small Enough?Steven Isakoff10:55 – 11:15 amAntibody Drug Conjugates in TNBC and Refractory ER Positive Metastatic Breast CancerAna Garrido-Castro11:15 – 11:35 amImmunotherapy in TNBCGuilherme Nader Marta11:35 – 11:55 amManaging Endocrine Side Effects of ImmunotherapyElad Sharon11:55 am – 12:10 pmQ&ASteven Isakoff, Ana Garrido-Castro, Guilherme Nader Marta, Elad Sharon

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Tumor Board: Advanced Breast Cancer

TimeSpeaker(s)12:20 – 1:30 pmRachel Freedman, Barbara Smith, Sarah Sammons, Erica Mayer, Laura Spring, Leticia Varella, Guilherme Nader Marta, Daniel Abravanel

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Session VI: ER Positive Breast Cancer

TimeSession TitleSpeaker(s)1:40 – 2:00 pmNew Approaches in Early ER Positive Breast CancerErica Mayer2:00 – 2:20 pmPI3K Inhibitors in Metastatic Breast Cancer: Choosing the Right TargetDejan Juric2:20 – 2:40 pmAdvanced ER Positive Breast Cancer: A Surfeit of ChoicesSeth Wander2:40 – 3:00 pmEmerging Antibody Drug Conjugates in ER Positive Breast CancerPaolo Tarantino3:00 – 3:15 pmQ&AErica Mayer, Seth Wander, Paolo Tarantino, Dejan Juric

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CDK4/6: Which One? For Whom? – Debate

 Shana Berwick, Laura Spring 3:15 – 3:30 pm

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ASCO Highlights

 Harold Burstein 3:30 – 4:25 pm

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Closing Remarks

 Harold Burstein 4:25 – 4:45 pm

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