8 tips for a virtual front-row seat at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

You can register as a virtual attendee, and you can also follow along on X (Twitter), where a vibrant medical community engages in meaningful discussions, and will share valuable information and news takeways. It’s your virtual front-row seat to this global gathering, where cutting-edge research and expert opinions in breast cancer are shared. X (Twitter) is a great way to experience some of the excitement, stay up to date, and learn which sessions everyone is talking about.

First, here are some terms to make X (Twitter) easier to understand:

Following someone: When you follow someone, it means you are subscribing to their posts as a follower and their updates will appear in your timeline. If you want to follow someone, click the Follow button next to their name and description.

Hashtags: The hashtag symbol (#) is used before a relevant keyword or phrase in a post to categorize the post and to help these posts show up more easily in a search.

Here are eight tips for following the conference (whether you are there in person, or at home, or in the office):

1. Make sure your profile is up to date

If you are going to start following people and maybe even commenting on posts, make sure people know who you are (and they may even follow you back!). You can include your specialty, workplace, and other relevant information. Check out some of the other professionals in the breast cancer space to see what they have included.

If you don’t have an X (Twitter) account, here is how to sign up.

2. Follow @SABCSSanAntonio

This is the official account for the conference so be sure you are following it. Here you can find out about the conference, upcoming sessions, educational videos and other relevant information. You can also find other medical professionals to follow as well through their posts.

3. Search for the hashtag #sabcs23

The hashtag for the conference this year is #sabcs23 and attendees will be using it to post about the conference. In your search box, enter in the term #sabcs23 to see top posts, recent posts, and people who are using this hashtag.

4. Search for the hashtag #bcsm

X (Twitter) is very unique in that one hashtag is usually used for breast cancer information and discussions. That hashtag, #bcsm (breast cancer social media), has been used for years and can be used at all times – not just during the conference.

5. Follow organizations that will post about the conference

Many organizations will be represented at the conference and will be posting about it as well, so be sure to follow them. Here are a few to get you started:

Living Beyond Breast Cancer: @LivingBeyondBC

Dana-Farber’s Breast Oncology Center: @DFCI_BreastOnc

OncLive: @OncLive

CancerNetwork: @CancerNetwrk

6. Follow oncologists who will be there and/or are presenting and have a strong X (Twitter) presence

Many of the prominent (and not so prominent) oncologists, researchers, and scientists post on X (Twitter) throughout the year and during the SABCS conference. Once you start following them, you can comment on their posts or just follow along silently to see what’s happening. You can see who will be presenting during the conference and follow them, but here is a list of a few to get you started:

Stephanie Graff, MD, FACP, @DrSGraff: Director, Breast Oncology Program at Lifespan Cancer Institute, and leading expert for our upcoming Ask the Expert webinar following the conference

Virginia Kaklamani, MD, DSc, @VKaklamani: Leader of the Breast Cancer Program at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center and member of the LBBC Medical Advisory Board

Hope Rugo, MD, FASCO, @hoperugo: Director, Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education, University of California, San Francisco and member of the LBBC Medical Advisory Board

Paolo Tarantino, MD, @ptarantinoMD: Research Fellow, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Sara Tolaney, MD, MPH, @stonaley1: Chief, Division of Breast Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

7. Follow patient advocates who will be there and/or are presenting and have a strong X (Twitter) presence

In addition to oncologists and others in the medical community, be sure to follow some of the knowledgeable and informative patient advocates. A few will be on panels during the conference, and some will be attending and posting information about the conference from a patient perspective. Again, here are just a few from LBBC's Leadership Volunteer alumni to get you started:

Julia Maues: @itsnot_pink

Janice Cowden: @JaniceTNBCmets

Kelly Shanahan, MD: @stage4kelly

Abigail Johnston: @AMJohnston1315

8. Listen to the seminars and post using the hashtags

If you’ve been on X (Twitter) for a while and have been silently following along, maybe take that first step and post your thoughts on a seminar or topic using the hashtags you just learned. Or comment on someone else’s post. Besides being educational, you might find it fun!

LBBC will be reporting findings and distilling the knowledge into practical insights on our website here. Additionally, we’re hosting an exclusive Ask the Expert webinar with Stephanie Graff, MD, FACP, (@DrSGraff), Director, Breast Oncology Program at Lifespan Cancer Institute,  so that you not only stay informed but also have the opportunity to get answers to your specific questions. Join us!

 

Photo Courtesy © SABCS/Todd Buchanan 2019