The 7th Symposium on primary breast cancer in older women. Theme: involving the caregivers (Held: 1 March 2024)

Abstract

The 7th Symposium on Primary Breast Cancer in Older Women, hosted by the University of Nottingham in association with the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG), was held in the Jubilee Conference Centre in Nottingham on 1 March 2024. With the theme of ‘involving the caregivers’, topics included: barriers to clinical trial participation among older women, the use of geriatric assessment tools to tailor treatments to individual patient’s level of frailty and interventions such as medication review and de-prescription to reduce toxicity and increase compliance with treatment. The symposium began with an upbeat introduction from the symposium chair, Kwok-Leung Cheung (Professor of Breast Surgery and Medical Education, University of Nottingham, Consultant Breast Surgeon, Royal Derby Hospital; UK National Representative, SIOG). Cheung welcomed attendees and contributors from a wide range of disciplines including surgeons, geriatricians, clinical nurse specialists, pharmacists and patient representatives. Cheung outlined how this biennial symposium, the only one of its kind to focus on primary breast cancer in older women, had grown in both size and ambition since its inception in 2010. For the first time, this year’s proceedings included a dedicated multidisciplinary team discussion of geriatric breast cancer cases submitted by delegates. The main theme of the day’s proceedings “involving the caregivers” was also emphasized in the introductory comments.