February 27, 2004, Hour One: Breast Cancer Update / Jerome Groopman's 'The Anatomy of Hope'

Science Friday > Archives > 2004 > February > February 27, 2004:
Hour Two: Breast Cancer Update / Jerome Groopman's 'The Anatomy of Hope'

A new study shows that preventive mastectomy--removing both breasts in women who don't have breast cancer, but who are genetically at risk--dramatically reduces a woman's risk of getting the disease. In this hour, we'll hear about this study, and talk with one of its participants.

Plus, a conversation with physician, researcher, and medical writer Jerome Groopman on what thirty years in medicine has taught him about hope and its role in healing.

Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern), and share your opinions online in our Listeners' Lounge (registration required).

Guests:
Barbara Weber
Professor, Medicine and Genetics
Director, Breast Cancer Program
Abramson Cancer Center
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Lori Edell
Participant in the study on preventive mastectomies
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
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Jerome Groopman, M.D.
Author, "The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness"
Dina and Raphael Recanati Chair of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Chief of Experimental Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts

This segment produced by Erica Altman and Karin Vergoth

Archived Audio:
breast cancer
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hope
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Books/Articles Discussed:
'The Anatomy of Hope : How People Prevail in the Face of Illness' by Jerome Groopman. Random House, 2003.

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)