International Centre For The Study of Breast Cancer Subtypes(ICSBCS) hosted by Weill Cornell Breast Surgery & the Nigerian ICSBCS in conjunction with The University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) which held its 7th annual symposium at Calabar. The workshops numbering six took place on the 22nd & 23rd of January 2024 at UCTH and a sister institution, all in Calabar.



The highlight of the symposium is the five (5) mastectomies with axillary dissection which were carried out at the UCTH main theatre. Also carried out were seven (7) punch biopsies with the technique of sentinel lymph node biopsies discussed. The team equally interacted with Resident doctors and medical students in Surgery, in a bid to inspire the next generation. The team also donated enough surgical consumables and anaesthetic drugs to cover 10 surgeries with the Chief Medical Director graciously waiving the service charges for the lucky patients. The surgeons were taught the procedure for collection of samples of organoids- for breast cancer genetic studies. The training also laid the foundation for DNA and RNA extraction at the UCTH and we hope this will be the beginning of DNA sequencing and other molecular biology test at the UCTH.



Amongst the team was also an interventional Radiologist-Dr Kwasi Ankomah, from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Kumasi Ghana, who led a robust clinical presentation and hands-on training on various biopsy techniques as well as image-guided biopsies.


Also, Prof. Paula Ginter, formerly of Weill Cornell Medicine Pathology Department, made a case presentation on complex breast cancer and benign mimics, deferential diagnosis and application of breast immunohistochemistry in breast diagnosis.


The workshops which recorded good attendance from the host institution, UCTH, also had participants from the Federal Medical Centre Yenegoa and River State University of Science and Technology Port Harcourt including ICSBCS affiliates, from Nigeria and other African countries amongst whom were: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Kumasi Ghana, St.Paul Millenium Hospital Addis Ababa, Machakos County General Hospital Kenya, the University of Nigeria Teaching hospital, Enugu including the Faculty members led by the ICSBCS founder Professor Lisa Newman, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian, New York USA, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta Georgia USA, and Henry Ford Health systems, Detriot Michigan.

The UCTH breast immunohistochemistry unit was established in June 2022 having trained some of its staff for take off of the unit.