Bernard Fisher (scientist)

Bernard Fisher
Born(1918-08-23)August 23, 1918
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedOctober 16, 2019(2019-10-16) (aged 101)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Pittsburgh
Medical career
ProfessionPhysician
InstitutionsUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Bernard Fisher (August 23, 1918 – October 16, 2019) was an American surgeon and a pioneer in the biology and treatment of breast cancer. He was a native of Pittsburgh.[1] He was Chairman of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.[2] His work established definitively that early-stage breast cancer could be more effectively treated by lumpectomy, in combination with radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or hormonal therapy, than by radical mastectomy.[3]

The oncology journal and website OncLive described Fisher's research as "launching the breast cancer community into the modern era" and honored him with a Giants of Cancer Care award for his work that ultimately ended the standard practice of performing the Halsted radical mastectomy, a treatment that had been in place for more than 75 years.[4] Thanks to Fisher, notes another major oncology journal, breast-cancer survival rates have improved worldwide.[3]

Fisher faced constant attacks from within medical ranks as he worked to disprove the efficacy of the old status quo treatment, eventually being described as "an iconoclastic figure" who brought about "far reaching changes...in the understanding of cancer and its treatment".[5] The Atlantic called him "a medical hero".[6] He was awarded the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research in 1985 "for his pioneering studies that have led to a dramatic improvement in survival and in the quality of life for women with breast cancer."[7]

  1. ^ Schneiderman, H.; Carmin, I.J. (1972). Who's who in World Jewry. Pitman Publishing Corporation. ISSN 0511-9138.
  2. ^ "NCI Visuals Online: Image Details". visualsonline.cancer.gov. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Bernard Fisher at 95". Oncology Practice. August 9, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  4. ^ Zigrand, Cheryl (January 10, 2014). "Fisher's Respect for Scientific Methods Propelled Landmark Advances". OncologyLive. December 2013. 14. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  5. ^ "Dr. Bernard Fisher is Distinguished Service Professor of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh". surgery.uphs.upenn.edu. University of Pennsylvania / Penn Surgery Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010.
  6. ^ Lerner, Barron H. (August 9, 2013). "How Clinical Trials Saved Women With Breast Cancer From Disfiguring Surgery". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  7. ^ "Albert Lasker: Clinical Medical Research Award". Lasker Foundation. Retrieved September 21, 2019.