The International Breast Cancer Forum is taking place in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and has gathered a large number of renowned experts in the medical field. [Photo/China Daily]

Breast cancer, as one of the most common malignant tumors among women, especially among young women, poses a significant threat to physical and mental health.

According to the 2022 China Malignant Tumor Epidemiological Analysis released by the National Cancer Center, the number of new breast cancer cases reached 357,200 that year, accounting for 15.6 percent of female cancer cases in the country, second only to lung cancer.

To help to improve diagnosis and treatment of the disease in China, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital has hosted the International Breast Cancer Forum over the past eight years. Liao Ning, a professor at the hospital, has presided over each of those forums.

This year, the two-day academic forum kicked off in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, on Friday. It serves as a platform for collaboration in fighting the disease among medical experts across the world, organizers said.

Yu Xueqing, president of the hospital and Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, said during the opening ceremony of the ninth session that the forum provides an opportunity for breast cancer specialists worldwide to share and exchange advanced knowledge, experiences and new clinical technologies.

"It is also a good platform for the participants to meet old friends, make new friends and strengthen their friendship and cooperation," he said.

This year's event has attracted more than 230 renowned medical experts, breast cancer specialists and professionals from around the world. They include 14 international renowned breast cancer experts who came to Guangzhou from five continents.

From the United States are William J. Gradishar, Charles M. Balch, Suzanne Klimberg, Hope S. Rugo, Vincente Valero, Armando E. Giuliano, Charles Geyer and Jeffrey Weitzel; from Spain is Isabel T. Rubio, chairwoman of the European Society of Surgical Oncology; from Japan is Masakazu Toi, director of Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Disease Center; from Singapore is Tan Yah Yuen, a senior consultant of Solis Breast Care and Surgery Centre; from Egypt is Omar Youssef, secretary-general of Breast Surgery International; and from Mexico are Hector Martinez Said and Enrique Bargallo.

They are conducting multidisciplinary exchanges through various formats such as special reports, international summits and team discussions, which provide a comprehensive analysis on the latest advancements in breast cancer research.

They are also discussing diagnostic and treatment concepts and shared clinical experiences pertaining to recent and challenging issues within their relevant fields.

Major topics dwelled on during the two-day event include advances in clinical research, surgery and radiation therapy of breast cancer; the search for cryptic antigen peptides for tumor vaccine therapy; genetic screening of breast cancer; advances in immunotherapy, endocrine therapy, breast surgery and the treatment of advanced breast cancer; and international perspectives on the screening and management of the disease.

The forum's influence and effect on breast cancer research and its benefits for the broader medical community will be felt beyond China, insiders said.