The IMPAKT (Improving Care and Knowledge through Translational Research) breast cancer (BC) conference in Brussels, Belgium (3–5 May 2012) covered the latest developments in translational research.

Martine Piccart (conference cofounder, Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium) described how the clonal evolution of tumour progression probably occurs by branching rather than in a linear manner and that some evidence supports parallel progression of primary and metastatic tumours associated with early spread of cancer cells. She said our understanding of heterogeneity between primary and metastatic lesions and among metastatic lesions will dramatically expand in the next few years. The key is to identify the driver mutations. So far, none of the recent translational research studies have identified biomarkers that may be introduced into clinical practice. It is not only the tumour that matters, it is important to investigate the role of the tumour microenvironment. Translational research in advanced disease has added layers of complexity compared with early disease. Dr Piccart believes that progress will only happen provided there is a cultural revolution in the way we conduct such research, and that must include increased collaboration and increased data sharing. This editorial features highlights of the ‘Best Abstracts’ sessions held at the conference.

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Pathways and biomarkers in breast cancer: latest evidence.

Nearly 700 attendees from around the world came to the 4th IMPAKT annual conference that was held in Brussels, Belgium, on 3–5 May 2012. Similar to previous years, the conference was preceded by a training course that was attended by approximately 50 young oncologists. The training course aims to provide young oncologists with a flavor on recent advances in the field of translational research and also guide those who are willing to pursue a career in this field. In this year’s training course, several areas were overviewed by a group of experts, and these areas included next-generation sequencing, gene expression profiling, circulating tumor cells and tumor metabolism. This was in addition to how to target signaling pathways, with particular emphasis on the PI3K pathway. The conference started on 3 May 2012 with a welcome speech given by the IMPAKT cofounder, Martine Piccart, the head of the Medicine Department in Institut Jules Bordet (IJB) in Brussels, and one of the world-renowned experts in the field of breast cancer. This was followed by a short speech by the scientific cochairs of this year’s conference, Fabrice Andre from Institut Gustave Roussy in France and Sherene Loi from IJB. Below is a summary of the main highlights of the data presented at the conference.

Advances in breast cancer translational research

IMPAKT is an international annual breast cancer conference that takes place in Brussels, Belgium. The conference mainly focuses on advancements in the field of translational research and the transition of laboratory findings from the bench to the clinic in the field of breast oncology. In 2012, the 4th IMPAKT conference witnessed a variety of exciting data, including new sequencing data of breast cancers, as well as the latest research in the PI3K pathway, which were presented in addition to clinically focused guideline sessions on the use of multigene signatures and molecular classification of breast cancer. There were nearly 700 attendees at the conference this year, which was regarded as a big success.

Conference Scene: Advances in breast cancer translational research

Molecular Investigation Of Breast Cancer

Molecular biology (pre-clinical)

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Molecular biology (pre-clinical)