Breast Cancer Concerns
February 25, 2009 at 11:58 am Tina Hay 2 comments
In our September-October 2008 issue, we ran a feature-length Q&A with Monica Morrow ’74, one of the world’s most respected authorities on breast cancer. Morrow is chief of the breast service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. One of the big themes in our piece was her view that too many women with breast cancer opt for a mastectomy when something less drastic—such as a lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy—can offer just as much chance for survival.
This week’s British Medical Journal carries an editorial by Dr. Morrow on another type of breast-cancer treatment, and here she seems to be taking a more cautious stance. The subject in this case is minimally invasive breast surgery, along with a related technique called “oncoplastic breast surgery.” Morrow says those approaches have gained in popularity in recent years—but, she argues, they focus too much on cosmetic outcomes and not enough on curing the cancer. She’d like to see more research on the effectiveness of these newer approaches.
Morrow is both an Alumni Fellow and Distinguished Alumna of Penn State.
Tina Hay, editor
Entry filed under: Eberly College of Science, Famous Penn Staters, Penn State alumni, The Penn Stater magazine. Tags: breast cancer, British Medical Journal, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, minimally invasive breast surgery, Monica Morrow, oncoplastic breast surgery.
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