ABC7 Consensus: Assessment by a German Group of Experts

Nina Ditsch; Michael Untch; Peter A Fasching; Steffi Busch; Johannes Ettl; Renate Haidinger; Christian Jackisch; Diana Lüftner; Lothar Müller; Volkmar Müller; Eugen Ruckhäberle; Eva Schumacher-Wulf; Christoph Thomssen; Nadia Harbeck; Rachel Wuerstlein

doi:10.1159/000535997

ABC7 Consensus: Assessment by a German Group of Experts

Breast Care (Basel). 2024 Apr;19(2):116-128. doi: 10.1159/000535997. Epub 2024 Jan 24.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Breast Cancer Center, University Hospital Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.
² Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer and Gynecologic Oncology Center, HELIOS Klinikum Berlin Buch, Berlin, Germany.
³ Women's Hospital at the University Hospital Erlangen, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
⁴ Onkologische Schwerpunktpraxis, Dr. Busch MVZ GmbH, Mühlhausen, Germany.
⁵ Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Clinic for Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care, Klinikverbund Allgäu gGmbH, Klinikum Kempten, Kempten, Germany.
⁶ Brustkrebs Deutschland e.V.; Patient Advocate, Board Member ABC Global Alliance, Munich, Germany.
⁷ Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Sana Klinikum Offenbach, Offenbach, Germany.
⁸ Immanuel Hospital Märkische Schweiz, Buckow, Germany, and Immanuel Hospital Rüdersdorf, Medical University of Brandenburg, Rüdersdorf, Germany.
⁹ Onkologie UnterEms, Studienzentrum UnterEms, Leer, Germany.
¹⁰ Department of Gynecology, University Hospital, Hamburg-Eppendorf, ABC7 Panel Member, Hamburg, Germany.
¹¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of The Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
¹² Mamma Mia! Breast cancer magazine, Patient Advocate, Co-chair, ABC7 Panel Member, Köln, Germany.
¹³ Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
¹⁴ Breast Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) Munich, University of Munich (LMU), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ABC7 Panel Member, Munich, Germany.
¹⁵ Breast Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) Munich, University of Munich (LMU), Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Munich, Germany.

PMID: 38638343
PMCID: PMC11023691 (available on 2025-04-01)
DOI: 10.1159/000535997

Abstract

Background: The "International Consensus Conference for Advanced Breast Cancer" was initiated more than 10 years ago. The rationale was to standardize treatment of advanced breast cancer (ABC) based on available evidence and to ensure that all ABC patients worldwide receive adequate treatment and access to new therapies.

Topics of abc7: The 7th International Consensus Conference for ABC (ABC7) took place from November 9 to 11, 2023 - as in previous years in Lisbon/Portugal. ABC7 focused not only on metastatic disease but also on locally advanced and inflammatory breast cancer. Special topics were the management of oligometastatic disease, leptomeningeal disease, brain metastases, and pregnant women with ABC. Due to the current situation worldwide, there was a special interest to patients living in conflict zones. As in previous years, patient advocates from around the world were integrated into the ABC conference and had a major input to the consensus.

Rationale for the manuscript: A German breast cancer expert panel comments on the voting results of the ABC7 panelists regarding their relevance for routine clinical practice in Germany. As with previous meetings, the ABC7 votes focused on modified or new statements. Regarding the statements not modified for the ABC7 consensus, they are discussed in the published manuscript from 2021 in which the German experts commented on the ABC6 consensus. The German comments are always based on the current recommendations of the "Breast Committee" of the Gynecological Oncology Working Group (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie, AGO Mamma).

Keywords: ADCs; Advanced breast cancer and pregnancy; Brain metastases; Leptomeningeal disease; Oligometastatic disease; Systemic therapy.

Grants and funding

The meeting of the German experts in Lisbon was supported and organized by onkowissen.de. onkowissen.de had no role on the content of the manuscript. The authors bear the sole responsibility for the final release of the contents of the manuscript.