NIH Adjuvant Therapy for Breast Cancer Panel to Address 7 Issues

BETHESDA, Md—Speakers at the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on Adjuvant Therapy for Breast Cancer will address the data on adjuvant chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and other aspects of postsurgical treatment. The 2½-day meeting convenes on Nov. 1.

Following a day and a half of presentations, an independent, nonfederal panel will weigh the evidence and prepare a conference statement making recommendations for clinical practice. The seven questions posed to the panel are:

• Which factors should be used to select systemic adjuvant therapy?

• For which patients should adjuvant hormonal therapy be recommended?

• For which patients should adjuvant chemotherapy be recommended?

• Which chemotherapy agents should be used and at what dose or schedule?

• For which patients should postmas-tectomy radiotherapy be recommended?

• How do side effects and quality-of-life issues factor into individual decision-making about adjuvant therapy?

• What are promising new research directions?

Patricia Eifel, MD, professor of radiation oncology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, will chair the panel. The conference’s major sponsors are the NIH Office of Medical Applications of Research and the National Cancer Institute.

Those interested in attending the conference can register on the website (http://odp.od.nih.gov/consensus) or by email (breastcancer@prospectassoc.com). Registration is free. The conference agenda can also be found at the website.

Additional information on the conference is available by calling 301-592-3320.