Overview and Purpose

The Applying Personalized and Targeted Medicine in Breast Cancer: Analyzing the Promises and Pitfalls satellite symposium at the 2007 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium will discuss the targeted treatment of breast cancer. In the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of therapeutic options for breast cancer. While encouraging, these advances have also increased the complexity of the treatment of patients with breast cancer, allowing for more tailored therapies based on individual patient and disease characteristics. This symposium will discuss integrating therapeutic advances, including utilizing genomics to select treatment, tailoring adjuvant regimens, and using targeted agents in metastatic and early-stage breast cancer, into the clinical care of patients. Methods for overcoming chemotherapy resistance will also be discussed.

Target Audience

This educational activity is directed toward medical and surgical oncologists, nurses, and other health care professionals interested in the treatment of breast cancer. Fellows in training with research and patient management interests in breast cancer are also invited to attend.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this symposium, you should be able to:

• Describe current genomic and proteomic methods of evaluating patient risk, response to treatment, and potential for adverse eventsin breast cancer and assess the utility of these methods in current clinical trials
• Contrast various effective therapeutic regimens in early-stage breast cancer in accordance with patient demographics and tumor phenotypes, such as HER2, estrogen receptor, nodal, and TOP2A status and other variables
• Evaluate the activity of various molecular targeted therapies, including inhibitors of HSP90, tyrosine kinase, and mTOR, and other agents aimed at preventing signal transduction in breast cancer
• Assess the efficacy and safety of antiangiogenic therapies combined with chemotherapy in breast cancer
• Describe known mechanisms of chemotherapy and targeted therapy resistance
• Evaluate the safety and efficacy of chemotherapy agents, including antimetabolites, fluoropyrimidine, epothilones, and novel taxane formulations, that are active in anthracycline- and taxane-exposed breast cancer

CME Accreditation and Credit Designation

Physicians: Physicians’ Education Resource is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Physicians’ Education Resource designates this educational activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physician Assistants: AAPA accepts category 1 credit from AOACCME, Prescribed credit from AAFP, and AMA Category 1 CME credit for the PRA from organizations accredited by the ACCME.

Acknowledgement

Supported by an educational grant from

Bristol Myers Squibb Company; Eisai, Inc.; and Lilly Oncology