Radiation Oncologists' View on the Zurich Consensus

Abstract

We would like to thank Prof. Rainer Souchon and his colleagues for providing us with their valuable comments regarding our article ‘13th St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference 2013: Primary Therapy of Early Breast Cancer Evidence, Controversies, Consensus – Opinion of a German Team of Experts (Zurich 2013)’. First of all, let us summarize the composition of the German writing committee, which is comprised of 5 directors of large multidisciplinary breast cancer centers in Germany (M.U., B.G., N.H., C.J., V.M.), who also represent major German breast cancer study groups (AGO-B, WSG), 1 medical oncologist, and 2 representatives from the German Breast Group (G.v.M., S.L.). 2 members of the writing committee (M.U., S.L.) are also members of the current St. Gallen panel. The panel of the St. Gallen Consensus Conference had 50 experts from 19 countries. The Consensus was published in August 2013 [1]. In the International Consensus Committee from St. Gallen, all disciplines involved in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer patients were represented; the panel included Prof. J. R. Harris from the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston (USA), Prof. Jacek Jassem, Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy from the M. University of Gdansk (Poland), and Prof. F. Sedlmayer, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Medical University Salzburg (Austria). The German Expert Opinion Conference, held immediately after the meeting in St. Gallen, aimed at commenting on the St. Gallen Consensus on the one hand, and at harmonizing the St. Gallen Consensus with the National German Guidelines (AGO and S3 Guidelines) and international guidelines based on evidence-based principles. Here are our answers in detail.