Australian expert bares findings at cancer symposium

To keep doctors and medical professionals abreast in emerging technologies in the early management of breast cancer, the Philippine Breast Cancer Society Inc. (PBCS) organizes the 8th Annual Breast Cancer Symposium from Sept. 28–30 at Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Pasig City.

The annual symposium, which is expected to attract hundreds of medical professionals, began with morning ceremonies led by PBCS president Dr. Christina Galvez who delivered the opening remarks, followed by the induction of new members administered by PBCS secretary Dr. Melanie Cruz and a lecture from Dr. Alex Tan titled “A Series of Fortunate Evolution in Early Breast Cancer Treatment.”

There are other lectures and discussions on the latest treatments and procedures, testing and counseling, Basic Oncoplasty, as well as breast cancer diagnosis among the young, pregnant and elderly age groups.

A highlight of the symposium is a lecture entitled “MammaPrint: In the Management of Early Breast Cancer” by Dr. Guy Hingston today at 12:30 p.m.

Hingston is an associate professor and fellow at the Royal Australian College of Surgeons and will be sharing his knowledge on the MammaPrint test, a genomic test that analyzes the activity of certain genes in early-stage breast cancer. This lecture was made possible through the joint efforts of the PBCS and Innogene Kalbiotech Philippines.

Current research suggests the MammaPrint test may eventually be widely used to help make treatment decisions based on the cancer’s risk of recurrence within 10 years after diagnosis.

And knowing if a woman has a high or low risk of earlystage breast cancer recurrence might help women and their doctors decide if chemotherapy or other treatments are needed to reduce risk after surgery.