ABCSG - A GLOBAL PLAYER IN CLINICAL ONCOLOGY

The Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group (ABCSG) is a cooperative institution that was set up to conduct controlled clinical trials in breast and colorectal cancer and to facilitate communication and the dissemination of knowledge among scientists and others dedicated to the cancer problem. Since its establishment in 1984, a total of 17.000 patients have been enrolled in ABCSG investigations. In certain patient risk groups, ABCSG is currently recruiting up to 40 per cent of all Austrian breast cancer patients to their clinical trials. The ultimate goal of the ABCSG is to enhance the standard of cancer treatment in this country and abroad by developing innovative approaches and testing increasingly more effective therapeutic strategies.

Prospectively randomized clinical investigations have come to be seen as the only instrument to generate valid and reliable clinical data, to gain insights into significant prognostic and predictive factors, and thus to enhance all aspects of evidence-based medicine. As a target of oncological research and practice, the ABCSG has selected two of the most common malignancies affecting women and men in the present-day western world: carcinoma of the breast and bowel.

As a whole, the ABCSG collaborates toward the common goal of controlling, effectively treating, and ultimately curing cancer by means of large, multicenter cancer trials in the (neo-)adjuvant setting. Research results are provided to the medical community through scientific publications and professional meetings.

ABCSG clinical trials - a dozen are currently active or in the pipeline - have also been a major factor in altering cancer management in Austria. The most obvious change in the treatment of the disease has been the reduction in the extent of deforming operative procedures. A longitudinal, retrospective ABCSG investigation has recently been able to demonstrate that breast-conserving treatment does not impair the prognosis in breast cancer patients as compared to more radical approaches: over 20 years of trials conducted by the group show that the rates of conservative procedures have improved significantly. This accomplishment is now internationally acknowledged as the reflection of an excellent level of therapy standards, surgical quality control and commitment to the objectives of medical art.


Further clinical progress in cancer treatment will be accomplished mainly by implementing translational research projects and efficient new drug development. In this way, the ABCSG facilitates the passage of experimental discoveries into current treatment modalities and minimizes the delay between the discovery of new anticancer drugs and their therapeutic benefit for our patients. The Group´s track record of conducting clinically relevant, well-designed studies has contributed substantially to its success and made the ABCSG a highly attractive partner for both academic and industrial institutions.