3rd PacRim Breast and Prostate Cancer Meeting

Abstract

The PacRim Breast and Prostate Cancer Meeting provided a unique opportunity for an integrated exploration of the translation of biomedical research into novel therapies for two steroid hormone-dependent cancers. The meeting emphasised the central role of the estrogen receptor in breast cancer and of the androgen receptor in prostate cancer. A series of novel approaches, insights and potential therapeutics were discussed although the challenges, particularly in the treatment of hormone-refractory disease, remain substantial. The meeting was held at the Kingfisher Bay Resort on Fraser Island, which lies just off the Queensland Coast. Researchers from Australia, Canada and the US were brought together in an integrated format to identify issues, solutions and collaborations around these two hormone-dependent cancers. If one was to identify a core focus, it would be the role of the estrogen receptor (in the context of breast cancer, we are referring to estrogen receptor-α unless otherwise specified) and of the androgen receptor in breast and prostate cancer, respectively.