Symposium Overview 2020

Meeting Profile

Since 1977, the Symposium’s mission has been to provide state-of-the-art information on breast cancer research. From a one-day regional conference, the Symposium has grown to a five-day program attended by a broad international audience of academic and private researchers and physicians from over 90 countries.

The Symposium aims to achieve a balance of clinical, translational, and basic research, providing a forum for interaction, communication, and education for a broad spectrum of researchers, health professionals, and those with a special interest in breast cancer.

In 2007, the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at UT Health Science Center San Antonio and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) announced a collaboration for the future of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium ®. The Symposium was renamed the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Complementing the clinical strengths of the highly regarded annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium®, the AACR's scientific prestige in basic, translational and clinical cancer research will create a unique and comprehensive scientific meeting that will advance breast cancer research for the benefit of patients.

In 2005, Baylor College of Medicine became a joint sponsor of the symposium and will remain in the CTRC-AACR collaboration.

C. Kent Osborne, MD, Director, Professor of Medicine and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Director, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Virginia G. Kaklamani, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, UT Health San Antonio and Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, Director, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Associate Dean Cancer Programs, UT Southwestern Medical Center are Co-Directors of the Symposium.


Symposium Objective

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.


Scientific Program

The scientific program consists of plenary lectures and mini-symposia by experts in clinical and basic research; selected slide and poster presentations chosen from the submitted abstracts; educational sessions, workshops, award lectures, panel and case discussions and forums. General sessions are approximately 2 hours in duration and are the vehicle for slide presentations, which are allotted 10 minutes each followed by 5 minutes of discussion. Poster sessions are 1 1/2 to 2 hours long.  The official language of the symposium is English.  Simultaneous translation is not provided.


Target Audience

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.


Financial Philosophy

Any remaining funds at the conclusion of the CME activity will be used for educational research purposes.


Symposium Administration

Co-Directors

Virginia G. Kaklamani, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, Director, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Associate Dean Cancer Programs, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

Program Director
Kate Lathrop, UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, San Antonio, TX, USA

Program Coordinator

Gary C. Chamness, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

Director, Symposia

Sharon Hill, UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, San Antonio, TX , USA

All administrative functions of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium occur in the symposium operations office, which is located at Mays Cancer Center, 7979 Wurzbach, San Antonio, Texas 78229.


Audience Composition

The majority of participants are physicians and researchers, with smaller representation by affiliated health care professionals.

2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium there were 7,988 Symposium attendees + 176 Media + 622 Exhibitors, Non-Exhibiting Sponsors & their Support Staff = 8,786 total attendance.  Internationally there were 46% that came from 84 countries outside the USA.


Accreditation

The Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long San Antonio School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Long School of Medicine designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.


FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE INFORMATION

As an ACCME-accredited CME provider, the UT Health School of Medicine must ensure that its CME activities are independent of the control of commercial interests. All speakers and planning committee members for UT Health sponsored programs are expected to disclose all “relevant financial relationships” as financial relationships in any amount occurring with the past 12 months that create a conflict of interest. The UT Health CME Office and C. Kent Osborne, MD, Carlos Arteaga, MD and Virginia Kaklamani, MD, course directors and content reviewers for the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium®, have reviewed all financial disclosure information for all speakers, facilitators, and planning committee members; and determined and resolved all conflicts of interests.


Continuing Education Certificate of Certificate of Attendance - Retrieval

This tool allows you to retrieve your Certificate for SABCS attended since 2011. Click here to retrieve your certificate.


Location

Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E. Market Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205, is the meeting site.


Future Meeting Dates

  • December 7-11, 2021
  • December 6-10, 2022
  • December 5-9, 2023

Symposium Contact

Sharon Hill, Director, Symposia
Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio
7979 Wurzbach Road, MC 8224
San Antonio, TX 78229
210-450-1550
210-450-1560 FAX
Email: sabcs@uthscsa.edu
Website Address: www.sabcs.org


History

The First Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium® was held November 11, 1978 during Breast Cancer Awareness Week, and was part of an intensive 3-year outreach program of public and professional education designed to significantly reduce the death rate caused by breast cancer in San Antonio and surrounding counties. It was sponsored by Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC) and the American Cancer Society, Texas Division, in conjunction with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) and the Bexar County Medical Society. That all-day course for physicians and surgeons was organized and co-directed by Charles A. Coltman, Jr., MD and William L. McGuire, MD, both Professors of Medicine at UTHSCSA. It featured invited presentations by a panel of internationally known specialists and was attended by 141 physicians and surgeons from a 5-state area. Three years later, in 1981, the meeting was expanded to two days, a call for abstracts was distributed worldwide, and proffered papers for slide and poster presentations were incorporated into the program, thereby broadening its scope to both attract and draw from a larger, international base. Renowned experts gave formal plenary lectures, and accepted abstracts were published for the first time in the peer-reviewed journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. Case discussion lunches offered opportunity for discussion of complex clinical problems in the management of primary and metastatic disease, by a panel of physicians from different disciplines.

Although some modifications have been made in the format, such as incorporating pre-symposium educational sessions, Year In Review and lunchtime forums the overall format remains very much the same. This reflects the objective of the Symposium, which is 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.

In 1990, CTRC and UTHSCSA formally entered into a collaboration known as the San Antonio Cancer Institute (an NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center), which in 1995 assumed direct sponsorship of the Symposium. In 1992, C. Kent Osborne, MD became Co-Director of the symposium upon the death of William L. McGuire, MD. In 1999, Dr. Osborne left UTHSCSA and opened the Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine, and in 2005, Baylor College of Medicine became a joint sponsor of the symposium. In 2008 the American Association for Cancer Research became a joint sponsor of the symposium. Through the efforts of UTHSCSA, AACR, and BCM, the program attracts more thought-leaders and high-quality proffered papers in basic and translational breast cancer research as well as increasing the participation of young investigators by providing superior education and training opportunities for the next generation of breast cancer researchers.

The driving force behind the collaboration is the shared mission of the partners to advance progress against breast cancer. By combining their respective strengths, the partnership will produce a scientific meeting that encompasses the full spectrum of breast cancer research, facilitating the rapid translation of new knowledge into better care for breast cancer patients.

In 2010 Peter M. Ravdin, MD, PhD, Ruth McLean Bowman Bowers Chair for Breast Cancer Research & Treatment, Director of the Breast Cancer Program at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at UT Health Science Center assumed the role of Co-Director of the symposium upon the retirement of Charles A. Coltman, Jr, MD. Dr. Coltman remains Co-Director, ex-officio.

In 2011 Carlos L. Arteaga, Professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology, Interim Director, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Director, Breast Cancer Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University was appointed Co-Director of the symposium representing American Association for Cancer Research.

In 2014 Ismail Jatoi, MD, Professor and Division Chief Surgical Oncology at UT Health Science Center assumed the role of acting Co-Director of the symposium upon the retirement of Peter M. Ravdin, MD, PhD.

In 2015 Virginia G. Kaklamani, Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology at UT Health San Antonio and the leader of the Breast Cancer Program at the Mays Cancer Center assumed the role of Co-Director of the Symposium.

The UT Health San Antonio School of Medicine, through the Office of Continuing Medical Education, continues to be the provider of CME sponsorship for this premier breast cancer symposium.

All administrative functions are the responsibility of the Symposia Director and occur in the Symposium operations office, which is located at Mays Cancer Center, 7979 Wurzbach, San Antonio, Texas 78229. All proceeds from registration and abstract fees, industry educational grants, and exhibit fees, are used for Symposium development and operations, and for support of its staff which consists of the Symposia Director, the Senior Meeting Planner, the Meeting Manager, the Registration Coordinator, and the Administrative Assistants.


Previous Meetings

1990-2019

Year Year No. Registrations Papers Accepted Exhibitors No. of Countries
1990 13th 526 201 15 24
1991 14th 685 237 23 25
1992 15th 749 218 23 25
1993 16th 763 240 23 26
1994 17th 1056 264 28 29
1995 18th 1283 301 20 38
1996 19th 1533 303 22 42
1997 20th 1980 365 40 43
1998 21st 2530 433 40 47
1999 22nd 2749 218 23 25
2000 23rd 3796 438 40 61
2001 24th 3320 432 38 52
2002 25th 4876 543 56 67
2003 26th 5820 590 68 82
2004 27th 6810 721 84 86
2005 28th 7666 805 106 89
2006 29th 8017 893 97 83
2007 30th 8503 813 105 86
2008 31st 8936 1064 98 92
2009 32nd 8493 1169 102 93
2010 33rd 7913 1035 91 93
2011 34th 7724 1264 79 103
2012 35th 7584 1432 68 96
2013 36th 7625 1298 65 107
2014 37th 7913 1333 74 94
 2015 38th   7576 1367   82 93 
2016  39th  7470  1398  77  93
2017  40th  7453 1250 88 86
2018  41st  7749 1596   88  88
2019 42nd 8786  1706 92  85 

Susan G. Komen® 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 accompanied by a cash award 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. The recipients of the Brinker Awards will deliver plenary lectures during the symposium.

The award recipients since 1992 are:

Year Basic Research Clinical Research
1992 V. Craig Jordan, PhD DSc Bernard Fisher, MD
1993 Arnold J. Levine, PhD Richard J. Santen, MD
1994 Marc E. Lippman, MD Malcolm C. Pike, PhD
1995 Helene S. Smith, PhD (deceased) C. Kent Osborne, MD
1996 Edison Liu, MD Umberto Veronesi, MD
1997 David Livingston, MD Gabriel Hortobagyi, MD
1998 Leland H. Hartwell, PhD Henry T. Lynch, MD
1999 Mary-Claire King, PhD Nancy E. Davidson, MD
2000 Angela Brodie, PhD Dmitiros Trichopoulos, MD
2001 Bert O'Malley, MD Jay Robert Harris, MD
2002 V. Elwood Jensen, PhD Charles L. Loprinzi, MD
2003 Mina J. Bissell, PhD Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPH
2004 Daniel Medina, PhD Larry Norton, MD
2005 Michael B. Sporn, MD and Anita B. Roberts, PhD (deceased) Trevor J. Powles, PhD, FRCP, CBE 
2006 Evan Simpson, PhD George W. Sledge, Jr., MD
2007 Joe W. Gray, PhD Leslie Bernstein, PhD
2008 Patricia Steeg, PhD Richard Gelber, PhD and Aron Goldhirsch, MD
2009 Geoffrey L. Greene, PhD and Benita S. Katzenellenbogen, PhD Professor Ian E. Smith, MD
2010 Jeffrey M. Rosen, PhD Soonmyung "Soon" Paik, MD
2011 Carlos L. Arteaga, MD Armando E. Giuliano, MD, FACS, FRCSEd
2012 Yosef Yarden, PhD Hyman B. Muss, MD
2013 Gordon B. Mills, MD, PhD Edith A. Perez, MD
2014 Joan S. Brugge, PhD Mitchell Dowsett, PhD, FMedSci
2015 Myles A. Brown, MD Martine Piccart, MD, PhD
2016  Charles M. Perou, PhD  Monica Morrow, MD
2017 Alan Ashworth, PhD, FRS  Dennis J. Slamon, MD, PhD 
 2018 Lisa Coussens, PhD  Eric P. Winer, MD
2019 Jane Visvader, PhD and Geoffrey Lindeman, MBBS, FRACP, PhD Matthew J. Ellis, MB BChir, BSc, PhD, FRCP

William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award

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 award recipients since 1992 are:

Year William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture
1992 Marc Lippman, MD
1993 Bernard Fisher, MD
1994 Craig Jordan, PhD, DSc
1995 Bert O’Malley, MD
1996 Benita S. Katzenellenbogen, PhD
1997 Kathryn Bloch Horwitz, PhD
1998 C. Kent Osborne, MD
1999 Charles A. Coltman, Jr., MD
2000 Trevor J. Powles, MD PhD
2001 Nancy E. Davidson, MD
2002 Michael Baum, MD
2003 Umberto Veronesi, MD
2004 Amy S. Langer, MBA
2005 Dennis J. Slamon, MD, PhD
2006 Richard J. Santen, MD
2007 Mitchell Dowsett, PhD
2008 Larry Norton, MD
2009 Martine Piccart, MD, PhD
2010 George W. Sledge, Jr., MD
2011 Joe Gray, PhD
2012 Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, MD
2013 Monica Morrow, MD, FACS
2014 James N. Ingle, MD
2015 Norman Wolmark, MD
2016   Eric P. Winer, MD
2017  Sir Richard Peto, FRS 
2018  Ian E. Smith, MD, FRCP, FRCPE 
2019 Joseph Sparano, MD
2020  Mary-Claire King, PhD 

American Association for Cancer Research Awards

AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research, supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation 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.

The award recipients since 2008 are:

Year Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research Distinguished Lectureship in Breast Cancer Research
2008 Douglas Easton, PhD, FMedSci Joan Massagué, PhD
2009 Charles Perou, PhD Robert Weinberg, PhD
2010 Klaus Pantel, MD, PhD Alan Ashworth, PhD, FMedSci, FRS
2011 Ramon E. Parsons, MD, PhD Joan S. Brugge, PhD
2012 Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD Mina J. Bissell, PhD
2013 Jason S. Carroll, PhD Michael Stratton, FMEDSCI, FRS
2014 Yibin Kang, PhD Mary-Claire King, PhD
2015 Mohamed Bentires-Alj, Pharm. PhD   Anne-Lise Børresen-Dale, DSc
2016   Fergus J. Couch, PhD Max S. Wicha, MD 
2017  Nicholas C. Turner, PhD, FRCP  Jeffrey M. Rosen, PhD 
2018   Ann Partridge, MD, MPH  Zena Werb, PhD
2019 Celina Kleer, MD Myles Brown, MD

Participating Countries in 2019

In 2019, registrants from the following countries participated.

Algeria

Argentina

Aruba

Australia

Austria

Bahamas

Bangladesh

Barbedos

Belgium

Bolivia

Brazil

Bulgaria

Cabo Verde

Canada

Chile

China

Colombia

Costa Rica

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Guatemala

Honduras

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Iran

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

Jordan

Kenya

Korea

Kuwait

Latvia

Lebanon

Macao

Macedonia

Mexico

Morocco

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Qatar

Romania

Russian Federation

Saudi Arabia

Serbia

Singapore

Slovakia

South Africa

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Syrian Arab Republic

Taiwan

Thailand

Trinidad & Tobago

Turkey

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States Of America

Uruguay

In collaboration with  Astro     and     SSO