News from BSI

BSI has continued to grow from strength to strength over the past 15 months. The BSI Council has held four virtual meetings to discuss BSI activities and its mission. These have placed the society on a steady trajectory of growth and prominence.

 

Equally gratifying is that BSI's profile has been elevated through requests to collaborate with various eminent societies. This has expanded our global footprint. 

 

BSI 2026 - Mexico City
Through the diligence of the Program Committee, ably assisted by the BSI Scientific Committee, and the collaboration of Dr. Enrique Bargallo, a local breast surgeon in Mexico City, the scientific program has been finalized. The program, which runs from the 20th of April 2026 to the 23rd April 2026, features 14 main sessions, including two prize sessions, two collaborative sessions with AWS, a free paper session, and the highly anticipated Umberto Veronesi Lecture.

 

In addition to these sessions, and in collaboration with the Mexican Oncology Society (SMEO), we are planning two sponsored breakfast sessions. The speakers and topics of these sessions will be the sponsors' preserve.

 

As in past years, we have planned two pre-congress workshops at the congre ss venue i.e Camino Real Hotel. The program has been finalized, and the Faculty for each has been confirmed. These workshops have been very popular and well-attended in the past.

 

• Ultrasound Workshop: Saturday, 18th April 2026, 08:00 to 17:00 – Limited to 70 delegates on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

• Oncoplastic Surgery Workshop: Sunday, 19th April 2026, 08:00 to 17:30 – Limited to 70 participants, also on a first-come, first-served basis. There is an option to increase the number if there is unprecedented interest in this workshop.

 

We are particularly pleased with the number of abstracts received. In total, 75 abstracts were reviewed by the BSI Scientific Committee. Of these, 30 will be presented as oral or visual abstract presentations, and the remainder will be exhibited as posters.

 

BSI Educational activities
The ethos of the BSI Council is that knowledge and education should not be the preserve of a privileged few. This should be available to all who manage patients with breast pathology. To this end, our online educational activities are free.

 

• Journal Club
To date, we have presented two virtual journal clubs. In December 2024, we discussed the paper, “Universal Genetic Testing for Newly Diagnosed Invasive Breast Cancer”, published in JAMA, and presented by one of the co-authors, Professor Stephanie Wong from McGill University in Canada. The second manuscript, “Active Monitoring With or Without Endocrine Therapy for Low-Risk Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: The COMET Randomized Clinical Trial” also published in JAMA, was presented by a co-author of the study, Professor Alastair Thompson, in June 2025. Both events were admirably organized by Susanna Kauhanen, the chairperson of the BSI Scientific Committee, and facilitated by the efficient Ms. Denise Eggler of the ISS office. We are planning a third virtual Journal Club in February 2026.

 

• BSI webinar
A webinar on the role of breast-conserving surgery in T4b lesions is scheduled for 10th January 2026. This virtual multidisciplinary discussion will address a topic of relevance to low-resourced environments where advanced breast cancer is a significant problem.

 

BSI Collaborations
• Research
BSI was part of an international collaborative consensus study with the Edinburgh Breast Unit on axillary management in node-positive breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This study has resulted in a publication Axillary management in node-positive breast cancer in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy: NAC-AX Delphi consensus study, which is currently under review.

 

• Courses
BSI endorsed the very relevant and important BRIDGE course in September 2025. The BRIDGE Course is a global online program bringing together leading breast cancer surgeons from across the world to share evidence-based, resource-adapted surgical techniques for low- and middle-income countries and is the first of its kind.

 

• Taskforce
BSI was invited to collaborate on the Breast Cancer Surgeon Taskforce (BEST). This collaboration with the Chinese College of Surgeons on Breast Cancer, the ASBrS and the ESSO is aimed at academic exchange via joint conferences, virtual meetings, and hospital visits.

 

• Outreach
BSI signed a 4-year Memorandum of Understanding with the College of Surgeons, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia to offer a Breast and Endocrine Surgery Training Course in Malaysia. This collaboration aims to enhance the skills and knowledge of healthcare professionals in the region, fostering better practices in breast and endocrine surgery. The course was held from the 6th – 7th November 2025 and BSI was represented by Professors Ipshita Prakash, Pooja Ramakant and Sandra Krishnan. By all accounts, the course was highly successful.

 

WJS matters
The WJS celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026. BSI has been tasked with contributing to this anniversary issue. The entire BSI Council is involved with preparing a 3,000-word document on the top five innovations in breast cancer management over the past 50 years (1976 – 2026). In closing, BSI is a vibrant, dynamic society, ascending in prominence in the global breast community. Join us in April 2026 in Mexico City to share your experience, network with like-minded colleagues and join forces in the global battle against breast cancer.

 

Ines Buccimazza
President BSI

 

Kavitha Däster
Honorary Secretary BSI