In the last few years, the prognosis of breast cancer patients has improved and breast cancer mortality is declining sharply in the majority of western countries. This is the result of a better understanding of breast cancer biology, women education, screening programmes, more effective treatments.

Because of this exciting scenario, the management of breast cancer is becoming more and more demanding: on one side, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to assure an appropriate clinico-pathological diagnosis and to choose the most effective therapeutic strategy; on the other side, the clinicians must have a thorough knowledge of the biological and clinical parameters useful to tailor the treatment on the needs of the individual patient.

This Advanced Course on Breast Cancer will bring together scientists involved in molecular and translational research and clinicians interested in breast cancer treatment and in the development of new agents with the aim to:

1. make the point on the state of art of breast cancer management
2. debate some hot issues
3. involve all the participants in the discussion of clinical cases

Meeting venue
	Modena November 4-6, 2009 Aula Magna Centro Didattico Policlinico di Modena via del Pozzo, 71 Modena
Directors
	Pier Franco Conte Dipartimento Integrato di Oncologia e Ematologia Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia Policlinico di Modena Gabriel N. Hortobagyi Department of Breast Medical Oncology University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston
Addressed to
	Oncologists, radiologists, breast surgeons
ECM
	Application for ECM credits for Italian participants will be presented to the Italian Ministry of Health. The number of credits will be published on the Accademia Nazionale di Medicina’s Web Site. The credit certification is subject to: the accreditation by the Ministry of Health the full attendance of the meeting the completion of the meeting evaluation test and the event evaluation form the correspondance between the participant's profession and the professional categories the course is aimed to (Oncologists, radiologists, breast surgeons).