The Breast International Group (BIG) Patient Partnership: Embedding meaningful patient involvement in the design and conduct of breast cancer clinical research

Involving those with a lived experience of the relevant condition in the design of clinical research ensures that studies address real-world needs and priorities, enabling more relevant, ethical, and impactful outcomes. In 2019, the Breast International Group (BIG) established the BIG Patient Partnership to facilitate the meaningful involvement of people affected by breast cancer in the design and conduct of its studies. The members provide a strong international patient voice in academic breast cancer research. The partnership is based on 4 pillars: foundational and ongoing training, meaningful and systematic involvement, patients as a strategic driving force in BIG's research, and promoting the value of the patients' voice in research. In this paper, we describe a model to enable performing transnational clinical research for and with patient partners. We hope to inspire organizations and people who are burdened by cancer from different cultural backgrounds to develop an interactive, engaging, and empowering process for researchers and patient partners to work together.