Sun valley summary - Consensus and action items expedition inspiration meeting 2000

The fourth Expedition Inspiration conference was held March 21-23, 2000. Wh ile there are other conferences that concentrate on a particular facet of b reast cancer, the design and goals of this conference are unusual. In order to maximize interaction of investigators and clinicians the meetings are s mall, invited, and private. The participants include both senior and junior physicians and scientists involved in clinical and basic research as well as clinical practice. The meetings serve four purposes: (i) Active discussi on among participants who do not usually interact, (ii) Develop consensus a s to the state of our knowledge as well as an action plan to stimulate futu re studies, (iii) Develop collaborative projects among the meeting particip ants, (iv) Foster new investigations by participants as well as others. Thi s year immunology and the role of lymph nodes in breast cancer were the sub ject of the discussion. Investigators studying breast cancer biology, tumor immunity, potential cancer vaccines, and immunotherapy discussed potential therapeutic manipulation of the immune response to alter the natural histo ry of breast cancer. Regional lymph nodes, the site of the immune response, are often affected early in the spread of breast cancer. For clinicians th is involvement is central to planning effective treatment. The paradox that despite the involvement of these lymph nodes in mounting an immune respons e they are frequently the first site of breast cancer spread stimulated a g reat deal of discussion and some potentially interesting studies. The follo wing consensus statement is the product of those discussions.