Watch our introduction to the Gap Analysis 2013:

Breast Cancer Campaign is known for its innovative research into the causes and treatment of breast cancer. One of the ways of ensuring we are working on the most vital areas of research, is by analysing 'the gap' in current breast cancer investigations. The first analysis took place in 2006, leading to the creation of the Breast Cancer Tissue Bank - the first of its kind in the UK and Ireland, which has given access to scientists across the country to the exact tissues they need to conduct their investigations. The paper that came out of this analysis was also published in revered journal Breast Cancer Research and accessed over 33,000 times.

With this achievement in mind, Campaign is in the process of facilitating a ‘five- year follow-up’ to ensure that the roadmap for these priorities is maintained as a relevant and authoritative resource. We have identified nine key specialty areas for evaluation and have assembled an exceptional panel of breast cancer experts from the UK and Ireland to debate with others in the field during a series of meetings in October 2012. Chaired by Dr Sue Eccles and Professor Alastair Thompson, the initiative will be overseen by an international Executive Advisory Board including Professors Alan Ashworth, Mitchell Dowsett, Craig Jordan, Adrian Harris, Klaus Pantel, and others. The assembled academics represent a broad range of disciplines, institutions and research funders. 

From these in-depth discussions, underpinned by supporting data from the literature, we will create an authoritative publication for submission to an internationally competitive high-impact journal, which we hope to be published in Autumn 2013. We predict that, like its predecessor, this review will be a highly cited and influential publication.

Information about the content of each meeting can be found below – the discussions that took place during the meetings will not be made publically available before the publication of the final report.