This year BIG is celebrating its 20th anniversary. What better time than the month of October to spread our message of hope and progress?
Linked to thousands of hospitals and tens of thousands breast cancer experts through 57 academic research groups, BIG is the largest international network (over 50 countries across 6 continents) dedicated solely to breast cancer research. Since 1999, more than 95,000 patients have participated in BIG’s clinical trials.
Research is essential to help us better understand breast cancer.
Much of BIG’s research is considered to be landmark, introducing particularly innovative designs, contributing to significant breakthroughs, or paving the way towards more personalised treatment of the disease.
Over the course of this breast cancer awareness month, we will present these studies that have already made an impact, or that we expect to in the future:
- EXPERT
The results of this study could influence how 2 in 5 women with breast cancer are treated by identifying which women could be spared unnecessary radiation therapy after surgery in the future - POSITIVE
POSITIVE biedt een unieke kans voor jonge vrouwen die hormoongevoelige borstkanker hebben gehad, om hun behandeling tijdelijk te onderbreken en om te proberen zwanger te worden. - AURORA
Het AURORA-onderzoeksprogramma wil een beter inzicht geven in de moleculaire kenmerken en de evolutie van terugkerende of uitgezaaide borstkanker, in de hoop de ziekte in de toekomst doeltreffender te kunnen behandelen en mogelijk te blokkeren. - SOFT&TEXT
The international randomised SOFT & TEXT clinical trials offer a new post-operative treatment option for young women with hormone-sensitive early breast cancer. - APHINITY
Uit de APHINITY-studie bleek dat adjuvante pertuzumab in combinatie met trastuzumab en chemotherapie de percentages invasieve ziektevrije overleving bij patiënten met HER2-positieve, operabele borstkanker aanzienlijk verbeterde wanneer het werd toegevoegd aan trastuzumab en chemotherapie. - MINDACT
The MINDACT trial found that 46% of patients identified as high-risk for cancer recurrence based on traditional factors were identified as low risk when adding the MammaPrint test. This means that many patients who in the past would definitely have received chemotherapy, might be spared such treatment and its side effects in the future. It represents a large academic effort towards de-escalating therapies. - ALTTO & NeoALTTO
The ALTTO and NeoALTTO trials represent a valuable resource for translational research as well as large scale academic collaboration. - HERA
The HERA trial indicated that one year of treatment with trastuzumab had a significant and sustained benefit in preventing cancer recurrence, contributing to a new standard treatment for HER+ breast cancer. - Aromataseremmers
The BIG 1-97, BIG 2-97 and BIG 1-98 trials added to the body of evidence that aromatase inhibitors could be used as a safe alternative to tamoxifen.
Thanks to BIG’s 57 Member Groups and the team at BIG Headquarters, we can proudly say that we have dedicated 20 years of collective commitment to collaboration, innovation and leadership in facilitating and accelerating breast cancer research. Our aim is to deliver the best in breast cancer treatment for optimal patient outcomes.
