Segment 26: A Brief History of Breast Medical Oncology
Title
Segment 26 : A Brief History of Breast Medical Oncology
Interviewee
Hortobagyi, Gabriel
Interviewer
Rosolowski, Tacey Ann
Coding Structure
B: An Institutional Unit B: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Coding
B: MD Anderson History B: MD Anderson Culture B: Building/Transforming the Institution B: Multi-disciplinary Approaches B: Growth and/or Change B: The MD Anderson Brand, Reputation B: Institutional Mission and Values C: Giving Recognition
File Type
Interview Segment
Abstract
In this segment , Dr . Hortobagyi begins an overview of the evolution of Breast Medical Oncology and the Breast Center . He recalls that in the early days , the Department needed to communicate better to develop patient care . As an example , he points out that scheduling sequential consults with specialists could take weeks , greatly slowing progress on a patient’s treatment plan . Bi-weekly meetings were established with all related specialties to aid communication and come up with a majority view of what needed to be come . Dr . Hortobagyi explains the specialties represented and how some individuals resisted collaboration on treatment plans . He notes that it took years for difficulties to smooth out , but that patients were happy and grateful . Dr . Hortobagyi says that the patients had figured out that it was good to get their doctors talking to one another . The multidisciplinary meetings were an educational tool and an instrument for cultural change in the department , he observes . Surgeons had been in charge of managing breast cancer , but slowly imagers and breast medical oncologists made inroads and with good results . He also says that conflict over treatment plans could give rise to clinical trials to prove a point (e.g . demonstrating the benefits of different types of surgery and of integrating chemotherapy at different stages of treatment and in combination with radiotherapy and immunotherapy) . Dr . Hortobagyi describes the successes that came from multidisciplinary discussions of treatment . “We were leaders in breast cancer management,” he says . “Everything we proposed and developed has survived the test of time.”
Interview Date
March 15, 2013
Format
XML
Original Format
WAV
Identifier
Hortobagyi,GN_05_20130315_S26
Collection
Making Cancer History® Voices Oral History Collection
Language
English
Repository
Historical Resources Center, Research Medical Library, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Restrictions on Use
All requests for copying of materials must be submitted to the Historical Resources Center in writing for approval. All reproductions will be handled by HRC staff. Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce must be obtained in writing by the Historical Resources Center.
Preferred Citation
Gabriel Hortobagyi, MD, Oral History Interview, March 15, 2013, Historical Resources Center, Research Medical Library, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
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The Making Cancer History® Voices Oral History Collection
