View the up-to-date information for the 2024 Annual Meeting.
Pre-Meeting Courses
Tuesday, April 30
Beginner Oncoplastic Surgery Skills Course with Mastotrainer and Cadaver Lab (Closed)
Moderators: Jennifer Gass, MD, and Juliann Reiland, MD
This primer course is designed for general surgeons and breast surgeons who have not performed oncoplastic surgery. The morning lectures will provide information on beginner level strategies and techniques for delivering oncoplastic breast care related to breast conservation.
The afternoon session will provide a hands-on surgical cadaver skills lab including a Mastotrainer section for supervised practice of procedures taught in the morning lectures. Attendees will be assigned to stations to practice skin markings, cavity closure with glandular displacement, aesthetic scar placement, crescent mastopexy, inframammary fold crescent, and the donut therapeutic mastopexy. Attendees will be provided with required reading material prior to the course.
Intermediate Oncoplastic Surgery Skills Course with Mastotrainer and Cadaver Lab (Closed)
Moderators: Abhishek Chatterjee, MD, and Juliann Reiland, MD
This intermediate course is designed for general surgeons and breast surgeons who understand beginner level oncoplastic surgery, and who want to learn more advanced oncoplastic surgical techniques. The morning lectures will provide information on intermediate level strategies and techniques for delivering oncoplastic breast care related to breast conservation.
The afternoon session will provide a hands-on surgical cadaver skills lab including a Mastotrainer section for supervised practice of procedures taught in the morning lectures. Attendees will be assigned to stations to practice skin markings and intermediate oncoplastic surgical techniques. Attendees will be provided with required reading material prior to the course.
Wednesday, May 1
Genetics Primer for Breast Surgeons
Moderators: Kevin Hughes, MD, Molly Sebastian, MD
Breast surgeons are well-positioned to become leaders in the area of cancer genetics. To prepare breast surgeons for this new role, this course will update surgeons on selecting the appropriate genetic test panel, identifying candidates for initial testing or update testing, interpreting pathogenic, normal, and variant results, pre-test and post-test counseling and management, cascade testing of family members, and patient selection, interpretation and management of somatic (tumor) genetic testing.
Stereotactic Breast Biopsy: An Introductory Course
Moderators: Sharla Gayle Patterson, MD, and Victor Zannis, MD
This course is designed primarily for the physician with little or no prior experience in stereotactic breast biopsy. Through a didactic, hands-on workshop and clinical case presentations, the participant will be provided with a basic knowledge of indications, principles, and technical aspects for performing stereotactic-guided percutaneous breast biopsy. Newer platforms for performing stereotactic breast biopsy on tomo-detected only breast lesions will be addressed. The course will also serve as a review and source of CME for those considering applying for certification or recertification.
Surgical Techniques for the Prevention and Management of Lymphedema: LYMPHA, Axillary Reverse Mapping and Lymph Node Transfer with Cadaver Lab (Closed)
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Surgical Techniques for the Prevention and Management of Lymphedema: LYMPHA, Axillary Reverse Mapping and Lymph Node Transfer - Lecture Only (Limited space available in morning lecture only)
Moderators: Sheldon Feldman, MD, and V. Suzanne Klimberg, MD
This course is designed for breast surgeons and plastic surgeons who want to increase their understanding of the established and evolving therapeutic approaches to breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). The emphasis will be on surgical methods for lymphatic identification and preservation and lymphatic-venous anastomosis to aid in preventing and reducing BCRL. The importance of a multidisciplinary team approach for successful prevention and management of BCRL will be highlighted.
Back to Basics Refresher: Practical Application of Breast Imaging to Enhance Your Clinical Practice and Improve Patient Outcomes (morning half-day course)
Moderators: Linda Han, MD, and Rosa Hwang, MD
This primer course is designed for any surgeon who treats patients with breast abnormalities who is interested in an overview of practical applications of breast imaging and optimizing surgical planning, including selection and interpretation of mammogram, ultrasound and MRI for benign and malignant diseases, utilization of image guidance to optimize surgical management of the breast and axilla, and incorporation of breast and axillary ultrasound in the office and operating room to improve patient outcomes and physician reimbursements.
Basic Coding and Documentation (morning half-day course)
Moderators: Terry Sarantou, MD, and Amanda Wheeler, MD
This course is designed to provide the physician with basic principles and tools for improving the accuracy of their documentation and appropriate coding for commonly performed breast surgery procedures. General principles of medical record documentation supporting evaluation and management (E/M) levels, and compliance issues will be addressed. Use of modifiers and diagnosis assignment will be reviewed.
Endocrine Therapy for Surgeons: Chemoprevention, Neoadjuvant, and Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy (morning half-day course)
Moderators: J. Michael Dixon, OBE, MD, and Ronda Henry-Tillman, MD
This primer course is designed for breast and general surgeons that desire to play a larger role in managing endocrine therapy for breast patients. The course will cover the use of chemoprevention for breast cancer risk reduction, use of neoadjuvant and adjuvant endocrine therapy for management of breast cancer, selecting appropriate agents and treatment duration, managing drug-related side effects, and use of ancillary tests to avoid of treatment-related complications.
Advanced Coding and Documentation (afternoon half-day course)
Moderators: Terry Sarantou, MD, and Amanda Wheeler, MD
This course is designed to provide the physician with advanced principles and tools for improving the accuracy of their documentation and appropriate coding. There has been a significant growth in utilization of advanced practice providers, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants). This course will address billing for advanced practice providers), general principles of medical record documentation supporting evaluation and management levels, and compliance issues. Use of modifiers and diagnosis assignment will be reviewed.
Thursday, May 2
Breast Ultrasound: An Introductory Course (Closed)
Moderators: Richard Fine, MD, and Shawna Willey, MD
This course is designed primarily for the physician with little or no experience in diagnostic or interventional breast ultrasound. The participant will be exposed to the basics in ultrasound physics, scanning techniques, and the interpretation of the characteristics of benign versus malignant focal breast lesions. In addition, through both didactic and hands-on modules, the basics of intervention for diagnosis, core biopsy pathology, and the use of intraoperative ultrasound will be covered. The faculty will share their personal experiences of integrating breast ultrasound into a surgical practice. Although this course is recommended for the novice, it will function as a thorough review for those individuals already utilizing breast ultrasound and those who are preparing for certification and re-examination.
Surgical Techniques to Manage Benign and High-Risk Breast Disease: How I Do It
Moderators: Toan Nguyen, MD, and Theresa Schwartz, MD
This course will review current management of benign and high-risk breast disease, indications for surgery, and when percutaneous or non-surgical management is appropriate. Benign breast diseases can be extremely challenging in our daily practice, especially with the mainstream use of 3D mammography technology which detects benign and high risk abnormalities at a higher rate. There will be a focus on the technical aspects of performing procedures involved in surgical management of benign breast disease. This will be accomplished through didactic lectures, case presentations, and video demonstrations.
Survivorship: How to Set up a Survivorship Program that Fulfills ASCO, CoC, and NAPBC Criteria With Integrative Approaches to Breast Cancer Survivorship
Moderator: Beth DuPree, MD, ABOIM and Nathalie Johnson, MD
Survivorship medicine is emerging in response to the growth of cancer survivors who emerge from treatment with a variety of post-treatment challenges. This course will present the building blocks necessary to reach accreditation by NAPBC, CoC and ASCO. In addition to didactic presentations there will be incorporation of practical solutions for building a clinically and financially viable program garnering administrative support for both the record of care and the standards of care needed for accreditation. Survivorship is more than a care plan.
Integrative Oncology is evolving concurrently with cutting edge western medical treatment of breast cancer. A holistic and comprehensive approach to breast cancer care is essential to treat the whole patient. Understanding how to support breast cancer patients through their entire journey from biopsy through survivorship and "Thrivership" is essential in creating a state-of-the-art breast cancer program. This course will provide the knowledge and integrative strategies to manage symptoms, decrease the risk of recurrence and improve patients and providers overall well-being.
Advanced Breast Imaging: MBI, ABUS, Tomo, CE-MRI, Fast-MRI, Breast PEM (morning half-day course)
Moderators: Paul Baron, MD, and Souzan El-Eid, MD
Advances in breast imaging have been creating as much controversy as improvement in patient care. Is annual screening mammography still the standard of care for breast cancer screening? Should high risk and/or dense breast patients undergo annual Gadolinium-enhanced MRI, and how does "fast" MRI impact the risk, benefit, and cost balance? If you could only acquire or utilizes one supplemental imaging modality, should you use whole breast ultrasound (manual or automated), breast MRI, molecular breast imaging (MBI), or breast positive emission mammography (PEM), and what are the pros and cons of each? This course will be focused on bringing the surgeon up to speed on the current and emerging breast imaging modalities; screening for high vs. average risk patients, with discussions of how various technologies work, the supporting data, and the economic implications.
Fellows Track
Moderators: Susan K. Boolbol, MD, and Brigid Killelea, MD
This program, which is being offered free of charge, is designed for breast surgery fellows participating in a year-long multidisciplinary breast surgery fellowship program, as well as residents entering or interested in participating in a breast fellowship. The lectures will provide supplemental information on a number of relevant topics for those about to begin a practice, including genetics, genomics, neoadjuvant therapies, clinical trials, adjuvant therapies, and salary negotiation information. CME credit will not be offered.
