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UTHSCSA
                                                                           DEAN’S MESSAGE

SABC, and 60 percent are international. She describes it as a bridge       funded by Susan G. Komen® and is presented to an investigator no
between the basic scientists and clinicians, where all the subspecialties  older than 50 whose novel and significant work has had or may have
(surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, pathologists, laboratory     a far-reaching impact on the etiology, detection, diagnosis, treatment
researchers, epidemiologists and others) come together to create the       or prevention of breast cancer. Their other award, the AACR Distin-
next evolutionary steps in breast cancer treatment and research. She       guished Lectureship in Breast Cancer Research, is to recognize out-
also points out the ancillary benefit brought by being located here,       standing science that has inspired or has the potential to inspire new
where our underserved and minority populations – who suffer dis-           perspectives on the etiology, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of
proportionate risks and incidence of many diseases, including cancer       breast cancer.
– can be focused on in research and benefit from leading treatments.
                                                                           DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS
  As co-director of the SABCS, Dr. Kaklamani sits on the committee           The value of the SABCS extends well beyond the meeting itself.
that reviews an average of 1,650 abstracts every year. Approximately
45 of those will become platform presentations and more than 1,200         For the many investigators and clinicians who would like to attend
will become posters.                                                       the meeting but cannot, SABCS update meetings are held through-
                                                                           out the year. They are recognized and supported by the SABCS with
  Credit for the success of the conference also goes to the other co-      all the materials from the general meeting made available through
director: Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, professor of medicine and cancer          the SABCS website. In the weeks and months after the meeting, the
biology, associate director for clinical research, and director of the     website sees a spike of tens of thousands of visitors, many of which
breast cancer program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in                  download the many presentations and other materials.
Nashville, Tenn.
                                                                             The development and operations of the meeting, as well as all the
  Unlike most medical conferences, the SABCS is not affiliated with        planning, are managed by symposia director Rich Markow, a 14-year
any medical association or organization, so there are no administra-       veteran. With his small staff of four, their hands are full year-round
tive duties and ceremonies. The meeting is singularly focused on con-      coordinating and planning – not to mention managing the huge
tinuing medical education (CME), for which it provides AMA PRA             volume of scientific literature distributed at the meeting. Planning
Category 1 credits via the SOM’s CME office.                               the following year’s meeting begins before the current one takes place.

  The SABCS also recognizes achievement in the fields of breast can-         In the days immediately following the event, Dr. Kaklamani and
cer research and treatment with three annual awards. The Susan G.          other medical oncologists all over the world return to their offices
Komen® Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction, established in            and change their treatment protocols. They are able to improve the
1992, recognizes leading scientists for significant work in advancing      treatment options they offer patients with knowledge shared at the
research concepts and for clinical application in breast cancer re-        symposium. Despite the advances and the great science, there will be
search, screening or treatment. The award is presented each year to        approximately 232,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer and ap-
one basic and one clinical researcher who have made seminal ad-            proximately 60,000 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) in the
vances in the fight against breast cancer. In addition, the award rec-     United States in 2015. Approximately 40,300 women will die from
ognizes scholars for a specific contribution, a consistent pattern of      breast cancer.
contributions, or leadership in the field who have had a substantial
impact on the fight against breast cancer. The award includes money          Obviously, our work is far from done. Hope for all these cases lies
to further the recipients’ activities in breast cancer research. The re-   in the determination of the thousands of researchers and physicians
cipients also are invited to deliver plenary lectures during the sym-      who will gather here in December, as many of them have for decades,
posium.                                                                    to exchange ideas and discoveries that are driving the evolution of
                                                                           treatments and cures in breast cancer. Learn more at their website:
  The William L. McGuire Memorial Lectureship Award was estab-             www.SABCS.org.
lished in 1992 to commemorate Dr. McGuire’s significant contribu-
tions to oncology. His research played a major role in introducing                                  Francisco González-Scarano, MD, is dean of the
estrogen receptor assays on breast tumor tissue as a guide to treatment                          School of Medicine, vice president for medical af-
decisions for women with breast cancer. Breast cancer patients every-                            fairs, professor of neurology, and the John P. Howe
where now receive these tests.                                                                   III, MD, Distinguished Chair in Health Policy at
                                                                                                 the University of Texas Health Science Center at San
  Co-sponsor American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)                                     Antonio. His email address is scarano@uthscsa.edu.
presents two awards at the meeting. The first is the AACR Outstand-
ing Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research, which also is

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