This Symposium is designed to provide state-of-the-art information on the experimental biology, etiology, prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of breast cancer and premalignant breast disease, to an international audience of academic and private physicians and researchers.  

The scientific program consists of formal lectures by experts in clinical and basic research, selected slide and poster presentations, forums and case discussions.  The official language of the symposium is English.  Simultaneous translation is not provided.

This international symposium is directed primarily towards academic and private physicians and researchers involved in breast cancer in medical, surgical, gynecologic, and radiation oncology, as well as patient advocates and other appropriate health care professionals. We anticipate 8,000 attendees from more than 80 countries.

Meeting Location - Virtual

We are very pleased to announce that the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium will take place in 2020. In response to the novel coronavirus (COVID019) global pandemic, the SABCS Executive Committee has made the decision, out of necessity to ensure the health, safety and security of all SABCS attendees and the patients and communities they serve, to hold the 2020 SABCS virtually. The dates will remain the same December 8-12, 2020.  

We look forward to holding SABCS as an in-person meeting for the 2021 Symposium at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E. Market Street, San Antonio, TX 78205 USA, phone 210-207-8500 located downtown on the scenic Riverwalk, and is within easy walking distance of many restaurants and other stores.

The main entrance to the symposium is located on E. Market St.

Symposium events & services are located on three levels of the convention center.

Street (1st) level (Main Lobby, Exhibit Hall 1, Exhibit Hall 2, Exhibit Hall 3)

Entrance (Main Lobby)
Registration, Coat Check, Scooter Rental, San Antonio Spurs, Market Place

Exhibit Hall 1
Poster Sessions, Poster Pickup, Poster Help Desk, Poster QR Codes, Continental Breakfast (Thursday-Saturday), Reception (Wednesday-Friday)

Exhibit Hall 2
First Aid station, Housing Desk, Lounge, Internet Café, Information Desk, Conference Notes Help Desk, Exhibits, Product Theatre, Loading Dock (for exhibitors), Continental Breakfast (Wednesday), Cafe (in exhibits), Conversations with the Experts

Exhibit Hall 3
General Sessions, Award Lectures, Plenary Lectures, Mini-Symposia, Debate

Meeting Level

Press Room, Speaker Lounge

Ballroom Level (Hemisfair and Stars at Night Ballrooms)

Educational Sessions, Career Development Forum, Workshops, Clinical Science Forum, Basic Science Forum, Translational Science Forum, Case Discussions, Spotlight Sessions, Early Career Lounge

Contact Information

Sharon Hill, Director, Symposia
Mays Cancer Center 
7979 Wurzbach Road, MC 8224 
San Antonio, TX 78229 USA 
Email: sabcs@uthscsa.edu
Phone: 210-450-1550 
FAX: 210-450-1560

Hours subject to change.

Monday, December 7
Registration 12:00 PM-5:00 PM

Tuesday, December 8
Registration 8:00 AM–7:00 PM
Program 11:45 AM–7:00 PM

Wednesday, December 9
Registration 7:00 AM–5:15 PM
Program 8:00 AM–7:00 PM
Exhibits 10:45 AM–5:00 PM

Thursday, December 10
Registration 6:45 AM–5:15 PM
Program 7:00 AM–7:00 PM
Exhibits 10:45 AM–5:00 PM

Friday, December 11
Registration 6:45 AM–5:15 PM
Program 7:00 AM–7:30 PM
Exhibits 10:45 AM–5:00 PM

Saturday, December 12
Registration 6:45 AM–9:00 AM
Program 7:00 AM–11:00 AM

Carlos L. Arteaga, UT Southwestern, Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center, Dallas, TX
Gary C. Chamness, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (ex-officio)
Margaret Foti, American Association for Cancer Research, Philadelphia, PA
Judy E. Garber, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Sharon Hill, Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, San Antonio, TX (ex-officio)
Ismail Jatoi, Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, San Antonio, TX
Virginia G. Kaklamani, Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, San Antonio, TX
Kate Lathrop, Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, San Antonio, TX (ex-officio)
Ruben A. Mesa, Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, San Antonio, TX
C. Kent Osborne, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Mothaffar Rimawi, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Xiang Zhang, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

Carlos L. Arteaga, AACR (Co-Chair), UT Southwestern, Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center, Dallas, TX
Aditya Bardia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Gary C. Chamness, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (ex-officio)
Chonghui Cheng, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Bonner Cutting, Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation, San Antonio, TX
Rebecca Dent, National Cancer Center, Singapore, SINGAPORE
Suzanne AW Fuqua, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Judy E. Garber, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Ismail Jatoi, Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, San Antonio, TX
Virginia G. Kaklamani (Co-Chair), Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, San Antonio, TX
Kate Lathrop, Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, San Antonio, TX (ex-officio)
Eleftherios (Terry) P. Mamounas, MD, MPH, Orlando UF Health Cancer Center, Orlando, FL
Elizabeth A. Mittendorf, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Julie R. Nangia, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
C. Kent Osborne (Co-Chair), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Charles M. Perou, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Susan Rafte, Community Patient Advocate, Houston, TX
Manjeet K. Rao, PhD, MSc, BSc, Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, San Antonio, TX
Andrea L. Richardson, Johns Hopkins, Washington, DC
Mothaffar F. Rimawi, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Rachel Schiff, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Kalliopi P. Siziopikou, MD, PhD, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
Alastair M. Thompson, BSc (HONS), MB ChB, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Eric P. Winer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Douglas Yee, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Xiang Zhang, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

If you require special assistance to fully participate in the Virtual SABCS, please contact the Symposium office at 210-450-1550 or sabcs@uthscsa.edu.

Past and current events have heightened security awareness around the world. Although no one can predict world events, incidents or situations, we are working to help ensure a safe and a successful Symposium. To this end, we will require attendees to wear the Symposium Name Badge to ALL Symposium activities (sessions, exhibits, etc.) at the convention center.

Food & Beverage - No Longer Apply

Continental breakfast, evening poster sessions receptions & beverages are provided free of charge.

The Marriott Rivercenter and Marriott Riverwalk are the headquarters hotels for SABCS. Additional rooms at special SABCS rates have also been obtained at more than 23 other hotels nearby, and all requests will be processed by SABCS Housing Bureau, Orchid Events. Information and online reservations for both groups and individuals are available here.

Transportation From Airport To Hotel

There are a number of hotels both surrounding San Antonio International Airport and in the downtown area that provide free shuttle service to and from the airport. Hotel shuttles are located outside the SAT’s baggage claim area for your convenience. Please contact your hotel of choice to inquire whether they offer courtesy shuttle service.

A hotel kiosk with courtesy phone is available in the baggage claim area for passengers to call their hotel for specific arrival or departure times for the shuttle service. We recommend advance confirmation of this service with the hotel of choice.

Taxi fare is approximately $29.00. (Up to 6 may share a cab, if both luggage and passengers fit safely.) SABCS does not provide transportation from the airport to the meeting.

Symposium Shuttle Buses SABCS provides free shuttle bus transportation between symposium hotels and the convention center December 8-12, 2020

• Shuttle buses will travel frequently between symposium hotels and the convention center.
• This service is free.
• Buses will drop off and pick up at the Market Street Entrance of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
• Buses will only stop at the official symposium hotels. A wheelchair accessible bus will be available during the listed days and times.
• SABCS does not provide transportation from the airport to hotels.

The purpose of these scholarships and travel awards is to promote the education and professional development of early-career clinicians and scientists who are actively pursuing research in breast cancer by facilitating their participation at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Scholarships and travel awards will be awarded to graduate students, medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and physicians-in-training whose abstracts are accepted for presentation at the 2020 SABCS, based upon the quality of their abstracts and other criteria outlined below. Recipients of these scholarships and travel awards will be identified in the SABCS program, both print and online and also at the meeting.

2020 SABCS Scholarship applications are currently being reviewed by the committee. Notifications will be sent as soon as the names of the recipients become available.

In order to be eligible for these scholarships and travel awards, the applicant:

1. Must be a graduate student, medical student or resident, or clinical or postdoctoral fellow in an official training program at an academic institution.
2. Must provide certification of “in-training” status from the program director.
3. Must be noted as the Presenter on an abstract submitted for the 2020 SABCS.
4. Must submit an application with the abstract above.
5. Must upload a current CV.
6. Must register for and attend the Virtual Symposium and present the accepted abstract.
7. May not be a previous recipient of a scholarship or travel award.

The above scholarships and travel awards are for Abstract Presenters.

The scholarship/travel award application is part of the Abstract Submission process.

The deadline to submit a scholarship/travel award application was July 7, 2020.

Patient advocates wishing to apply for financial assistance for the 2020 Virtual SABCS should contact the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation for information and an application. Applications are available online. Please see their website for more information and qualifications. Applications must be post-marked by September 1, 2020.

E-mail: sandi@alamobreastcancer.org
Web: www.alamobreastcancer.org

Susan G. Komen^® Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction

Established by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 1992, the Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction recognizes leading scientists for significant work in advancing research concepts and for clinical application in the fields of breast cancer research, screening or treatment. The award is presented to basic and clinical researchers who have made seminal advances in the fight against breast cancer. In addition, the award recognizes scholars for a specific contribution, a consistent pattern of contributions, or leadership in the field that has had a substantial impact on the fight against breast cancer.

The Brinker Award is to be used to further the recipients' activities in breast cancer research. This award has grown in prominence in the breast cancer community and is a marquee award for Komen for the Cure. The recipients of the Brinker Awards will deliver plenary lectures at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

The William L. McGuire Memorial Lectureship

Dr. William L. McGuire, along with Dr. Charles A. Coltman, founded the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in 1977. The William L. McGuire Memorial Lectureship was established in 1992 to commemorate the significant contributions of Dr. McGuire to oncology medicine. His research played a major role in introducing estrogen receptor assays on breast tumor tissue as a guide to treatment decisions for women with breast cancer. Breast cancer patients everywhere now receive these tests.

The lecturer is selected by the SABCS McGuire Award Committee from persons through a nomination process. The selection is based on the following criteria:

• Lecturers are respected figures with an international reputation.

• They have made significant contributions to the field of breast cancer research.

• They are known as skilled presenters.

• They present a topic of high current interest related to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer or to the study of its underlying   mechanisms.

AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research, funded by The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

The AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research is presented to an investigator no more than 50 years of age whose novel and significant work that has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the etiology, detection, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of breast cancer.

AACR Distinguished Lectureship in Breast Cancer Research

The AACR Distinguished Lectureship in Breast Cancer Research has been established to recognize outstanding science that has inspired or has the potential to inspire new perspectives on the etiology, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of breast cancer.

A daily newsletter featuring highlights of the Symposium, late breaking & revised abstracts, schedule changes and other news is published during the Symposium. It is distributed on site and posted at Past Symposia Newsletters.

Abstracts, with the exception of those withheld for SABCS press conferences, will be released approximately one month prior to the symposium. The abstracts withheld for press will be released at the beginning of the day on which the relevant press conference occurs.

Reporters, producers and editors agree to the embargoes and release times stated on the news releases, the news conference schedule and other materials. Failure to abide by the embargoes will result in suspension of credentials, which will affect attendance at the current and future symposia and ability to receive advance press materials.

By allowing an abstract to be included in the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium media outreach program, the Presenter verifies that the abstract’s contents and its conclusions have not been and will not be published or presented in any form to the public before the start of the actual presentation. This includes, but is not limited to, non-embargoed press releases and interviews required by government agencies. Any release of material and specific non-embargoed information prior to the meeting’s embargo date as set forth by the SABCS press office could result in exclusion from the official SABCS press program.

A statement verifying your participation at the 2020 Virtual Symposium will be emailed to all attendees on Friday, December 11, 2020.

Physicians seeking CME credit for this live continuing medical education activity must complete the online surveys.   Surveys opens on December 8, 2020 and closes on January 31, 2021.  Certificates may be printed online after completing the surveys.

Certificates of Attendance are available for attendees who need a record of their attendance at the Symposium but do not require or qualify for CME through the online survey.  The online survey opens on December 8, 2020 and closes on January 31, 2021.  Certificates may be printed online after completing the surveys.

Due to liability restrictions and concerns, children under eighteen years of age may not participate in any part of this symposium.

Symposium attendees my take photographs during oral or poster presentations provided that the photographs are strictly for personal, noncommercial use and are not to be published in any form.  Attendees are prohibited from using flash photography or otherwise distracting the presenters or members of the audience. Publication of any photos is prohibited without the express permission of SABCS. In order to take photos for publication, journalists must be registered as press.

Video cameras are granted access to the Registration area and press room. Access to other areas of the Symposium requires pre-approval from SABCS. Camera crews filming in meeting areas other than the press room or news briefing room must be accompanied at all times by a press room staff member.

Photographers or camera crews hired by the aforementioned representatives or exhibitors must obtain permission from press room staff to conduct any on-site photo or video shoots during the Symposium.

Ringing phones and conversations make it difficult for your colleagues to fully benefit from SABCS sessions. To provide an environment conducive to education, we ask that you observe the following courtesies while inside the symposium:

• Please turn your cellular phone off or switch to a silent mode.
• If receiving a call, please immediately put the call on hold and move to a foyer or similar area to use your phone.
• If making a call, we ask that you move to a foyer or similar area to initiate your call.

SABCS will offer wireless service throughout the symposium. Connection setting information and a support specialist will be available onsite.

SABCS will operate an Internet Café for internet and e-mail access located in Exhibit Hall 2.

Wireless internet access will be available throughout the symposium. Connection setting information will be available in the symposium materials.

Literature racks will be available for non-profit organizations only for posting of brochures, which must not exceed 8½ x 11 inches. Please contact the Symposium office at sabcs@uthscsa.edu for instructions.

Information boards will be located in Exhibit Hall 2 and in the Career Development Forum, Room 304.  Advertising opportunities for recruitment and meeting flyers to be posted should be no larger than 8 ½ x 11” and will be posted by the SABCS staff upon approval. Bring your advertisement to the "Faculty Registration" desk located at the back of the registration area (main lobby) and ask for Sharon Hill or Susan Binger.

Please contact the Symposium office if you have any questions.

The average temperature in San Antonio in December ranges from 45°F to 65°F (7°C to 18°C). Remember that meeting rooms are usually kept quite cool, so dress accordingly. For such a large audience, it is necessary to maintain a lower temperature than is comfortable for everyone.

The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is a non-smoking facility. No smoking is allowed anywhere in the building.

Although SABCS does not sponsor any recreational activities, visitors to the city may obtain such information from the website of Visit San Antonio (www.visitsanantonio.com).