Research

Research is an integral part of the author’s academic life. His clinical research began with how best to combine surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy to increase tumor cure. Since these modalities had different mechanisms of action as well as different toxicities and limitations, combining them offered the potential of more effective and less morbid treatments. While he began these studies with Hodgkin and other lymphomas, breast cancer was a major emphasis throughout his career. Lymphoma treatment has improved greatly, resulting in marked increases in cure rates. Breast cancer treatment now is more efficacious, with a significant reduction in the extent of surgery and its resulting functional and aesthetic effects. The author was an active participant in these efforts internationally. With Ralph Weichselbaum’s group he has shown how metastases can be cured early in their evolution.