title: ABC3 Consensus: Assessment by a German Group of Experts.
abstract: The Advanced Breast Cancer Third International Consensus Conference on the diagnosis and treatment of advanced breast cancer took place in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 5-7, 2015. This year's conference (ABC3) was focused on the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (stage IV), as it was 4 years ago at the first consensus meeting (ABC1). A matter of particular interest was the patients' perspective. Thus, patient-relevant issues were addressed by the consensus discussions, such as those on treatment goals, quality of life, care of long-term survivors ('survivorship issues'), and coping with disease-related symptoms and the side effects of treatment. Further important issues on the agenda were the use of standardized instruments for the assessment of individual treatment success ('patient-reported outcome measures') and the evaluation of the benefit of novel drugs (e.g. the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale). Diagnosis and treatment of inoperable locally advanced breast cancer had already been discussed 2 years earlier at the ABC2 Consensus and were not dealt with in the framework of this year's ABC3 Consensus. With regard to country-specific peculiarities, which unavoidably found their way into the ABC Consensus, a working group of German breast cancer experts commented on the voting results of the ABC panelists. As for the past consensus, the group specially considered the German guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer (AGO (Gyneco-Oncology Working Group), S3, DGHO (German Society of Hematology and Medical Oncology)) in order to adapt the ABC3 consensus for everyday therapy in Germany.
authors.affiliation: University Clinic and Outpatient Clinic of Gynecology, Martin-Luther-University, Halle an der Saale, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thomssen
authors.affiliation: Breast Center of Eastern Bavaria, DONAUISAR Hospital, Deggendorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Augustin
authors.affiliation: Gynecology Outpatient Clinic, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ettl
authors.affiliation: Brustkrebs Deutschland e.V., Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haidinger
authors.affiliation: Gyneco-Oncological Practice, Hanover, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans-Joachim
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lück
authors.affiliation: Medical Clinic focusing on Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Charité Berlin, Benjamin Franklin Campus, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lüftner
authors.affiliation: Gyneco-Oncology Section, National Center of Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marmé
authors.affiliation: Joint Practice for Interdisciplinary Oncology and Hematology, Freiburg i.Br., Germany.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marschner
authors.affiliation: Onkologie UnterEms Leer-Emden-Papenburg, Leer, Germany.
authors.forename: Lothar
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncologist, OncoConsult. Hamburg GmbH, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Overkamp
authors.affiliation: Women's Hospital, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Eugen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ruckhäberle
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Interdisciplinary Breast Center, Agaplesion Markus Hospital, Frankfurt/M., Germany.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thill
authors.affiliation: Gynecology Clinic, HELIOS Hospital Berlin Buch, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Untch
authors.affiliation: Breast Center, University of Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wuerstlein
authors.affiliation: Breast Center, University of Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Harbeck
keywords: ABC3 Consensus 2015; Breast Cancer, metastatic; Patient-relevant issues