AACR Special Conference: Advances in Breast Cancer Research – Genetics, Biology, and Clinical Implications, Huntington Beach, California, USA, 8–12 October 2003

The recent meeting 'Advances in Breast Cancer Research – Genetics, Biology, and Clinical Implications' was an American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Special Conference in Cancer Research, for which the underwriting sponsor was the Avon Foundation. Presentations were made from prominent scientists on several relevant basic science and clinic-oriented topics, including mammary stem cells and development, steroid receptors, matrix and stromal–epithelial interactions, oncogene signaling and imaging, genetics and prevention, and molecular therapeutics. A summary of recent findings is presented here, with a particular emphasis on unpublished work.