On December 19, 2023, the "International Exchange Conference on Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Experience" was held at the Hui Fu Branch of the Cancer Hospital of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital. Prof. Michael Gnant, a renowned surgeon from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria, was invited to engage in in-depth discussions on the clinical hot topics of breast cancer in both countries. The aim was to explore the differences in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment between different regions and jointly improve the level of breast cancer care. The conference was chaired by Professor Wang Kun, Vice President of the Cancer Hospital.
Prof. Michael Gnant is the Chairman of the St. Gallen Consensus Early Breast Cancer Group, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. As the host, Prof. Wang Kun warmly welcomed Prof. Gnant, emphasizing that breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide. As a highly heterogeneous disease with various molecular subtypes, stages, and patient characteristics, breast cancer necessitates a multidisciplinary personalized approach to diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this international exchange is to enhance cooperation and communication, in order to deliver better diagnostic and treatment services for patients.
Prof. Gnant first shared a discussion on adjuvant therapy selection for HER2+ early-stage breast cancer following neoadjuvant therapy. Drawing on clinical research and real patient data, Prof. Gnant pointed out that for HER2+ early-stage breast cancer patients, achieving pathological complete response (pCR) does not necessarily guarantee disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS) benefits. Patients achieving pCR still have up to a 20% risk of recurrence. Subsequently, Dr. Gao Hongfei, Associate Chief Dr. Yang Mei, and Prof. Gnant engaged in a discussion on this issue.
Dr. Lin Yingyi then introduced the development and clinical research progress of the Department of Breast Cancer. The department was established in 2016, led by Prof. Wang Kun. After years of development, it has achieved certain results and received wide recognition from various sectors. The department covers several fields, including efficacy prediction, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and neoadjuvant therapy. Associate Chief Dr. Yang Mei shared a live demonstration of laparoscopic breast cancer surgery. Prof. Gnant highly praised the achievements of the department at the Cancer Hospital, expressing admiration for the expertise of the department's experts in surgical techniques and asking specific technical questions.
During the discussion session on clinical research, Dr. Zhang Liulu, Dr. Gao Hongfei, Dr. Zhu Teng, and Dr. Xu Jianing reported on a series of notable topics in clinical research. Dr. Zhang Liulu shared clinical research on neoadjuvant therapy for triple-negative breast cancer, aiming to explore the efficacy of immune-combined chemotherapy in early-stage, high-risk triple-negative breast cancer. Compared to the five-drug combination regimen in the previous Keynote-522 study, this research achieved non-inferior efficacy with a three-drug combination regimen while demonstrating fewer adverse reactions. Dr. Gao Hongfei shared a multicenter randomized phase III study, neoCARHP, exploring the efficacy of TCHP and THP in neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer. Dr. Gao raised questions regarding the significance of carboplatin in neoadjuvant therapy regimens and discussed the setting of clinical research endpoints. Dr. Zhu Teng shared prognostic predictions for patients with different axillary lymph node statuses. Dr. Xu Jianing shared the inclusion criteria for an upcoming clinical research on adjuvant therapy at the center and engaged in discussions about the criteria. Prof. Gnant discussed these clinical research issues with the attending experts.
Department of Breast Cancer
Updated: January 9, 2024
