News Archive

WASHINGTON, DC (April 13, 2020): The American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS), the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons, and the American College of Radiology® (ACR®) have released new joint recommendations for prioritization, treatment and triage of breast cancer patients during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Our Society, NAPBC, CoC, NCCN and ACR recently collaborated to produce the manuscript, Recommendations for Prioritization, Treatment and Triage of Breast Cancer Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic (download PDF), which was accepted for publication in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. Please utilize this updated manuscript in place of the executive summary we previously sent to you.

The Board of Directors has voted to cancel the annual meeting for 2020 rather than postpone until the fall. This decision was not made lightly, and I applaud the leadership of our President, Dr. Jill Dietz, for navigating this difficult decision and for her fiscal responsibility to our Society. The Board felt that there were too many unknowns surrounding the trajectory of the pandemic, financial unknowns for members and the society and too much stress on us as medical professionals to commit to an in-person fall meeting.

With the COVID-19 situation evolving quickly, we must act decisively. As such, out of an abundance of caution, to help stem the spread of this disease in our communities and to protect our patients and our staff, The American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) recommend that medical facilities postpone all breast screening exams (to include screening mammography, ultrasound, and MRI) effective immediately.