Umberto Veronesi (; 28 November 1925 – 8 November 2016) was an Italian

oncologist Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

, physician, scientist and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, internationally known for his contributions on prevention and treatment of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a ...

throughout a career spanning over fifty years.

Early life and education

Veronesi was born in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

. He obtained his degree in

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care p ...

from the

University of Milan The University of Milan ( it, Università degli Studi di Milano; la, Universitas Studiorum Mediolanensis), known colloquially as UniMi or Statale, is a public research university in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe ...

in 1952, and dedicated his professional life to the study and treatment of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

Scientific career

After spending brief periods in England and France, he joined the Italian Cancer Institute in Milan as a volunteer. Veronesi challenged the dominant paradigm among surgeons that cancer could only be treated with aggressive surgery. He championed a paradigm shift in cancer care from "maximum tolerated" to "minimum effective" treatment. He was a pioneer of

breast-conserving surgery Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) refers to an operation that aims to remove breast cancer while avoiding a mastectomy. Different forms of this operation include: lumpectomy (tylectomy), wide local excision, segmental resection, and quadrant ...

in early breast cancer as an alternative to a

radical mastectomy Radical mastectomy is a surgical procedure involving the removal of breast, underlying chest muscle (including pectoralis major and pectoralis minor), and lymph nodes of the axilla as a treatment for breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most comm ...

. He developed the technique of quadrantectomy, which limits surgical resection to the affected quarter of the breast. Between 1973 and 1980 he led the first prospective randomised trial of breast conserving surgery (the Milan I trial), which compared outcomes from radical mastectomy against quadrantectomy. The results, published in 1981, and confirmed in 2002 in a 20-year follow-up study, played a key role in establishing breast conserving surgery as standard of care for patients with early breast cancer, alongside results from trials of

lumpectomy Lumpectomy (sometimes known as a tylectomy, partial mastectomy, breast segmental resection or breast wide local excision) is a surgical removal of a discrete portion or "lump" of breast tissue, usually in the treatment of a malignant tumor or brea ...

led by the US breast surgeon Bernard Fisher. Veronesi supported and promoted scientific research aimed at improving conservative surgical techniques, including

sentinel lymph node The sentinel lymph node is the hypothetical first lymph node or group of nodes draining a cancer. In case of established cancerous dissemination it is postulated that the sentinel lymph nodes are the target organs primarily reached by metastasiz ...

biopsy A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of a disea ...

, which resulted in

axilla The axilla (also, armpit, underarm or oxter) is the area on the human body directly under the shoulder joint. It includes the axillary space, an anatomical space within the shoulder girdle between the arm and the thoracic cage, bounded super ...

ry dissection in breast cancer with clinically negative

lymph node A lymph node, or lymph gland, is a kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system and the adaptive immune system. A large number of lymph nodes are linked throughout the body by the lymphatic vessels. They are major sites of lymphocytes that inclu ...

s no longer being performed. He also contributed to breast cancer prevention conducting studies on

tamoxifen Tamoxifen, sold under the brand name Nolvadex among others, is a selective estrogen receptor modulator used to prevent breast cancer in women and treat breast cancer in women and men. It is also being studied for other types of cancer. It has b ...

and

retinoid The retinoids are a class of chemical compounds that are vitamers of vitamin A or are chemically related to it. Retinoids have found use in medicine where they regulate epithelial cell growth. Retinoids have many important functions throughout ...

s and verifying their capabilities to prevent the formation of

carcinoma Carcinoma is a malignancy that develops from epithelial cells. Specifically, a carcinoma is a cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that arises from cells originating in the endodermal, mesodermal ...

. He was an activist in anti-tobacco campaigns. In 1994 he founded the European Institute of Oncology, which he directed until his death. He was appointed President of the Scientific Committee of the Italy-USA Foundation in 2010. In 2009, through his foundation (Fondazione Veronesi), he started the project "Science for Peace", in order to promote peaceful relations through scientific development. He was Chairman of the BioGeM Scientific Committee.

Political career

*1993 member of the national Commission against cancer. *1998 member of the national Commission for the evaluation of "Di Bella therapy" against cancer. *2000-2001 Minister of Health under the Amato II Cabinet. :On 25 April 2000 he was appointed to the Amato II Cabinet as the minister of health and was in office until 11 June 2001. He was instrumental in the promotion of the anti-smoking in public places act. *2008 Main candidate in Milan of the Democrate Party (Veltroni) to the Italian Senate. *2010-2011 Chairman of Italy's Nuclear Safety Agency.

Ethical views

Over the years, Veronesi publicly expressed his views on several

ethical Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

issues in interviews, televised debates and his books. Veronesi identified himself as an agnostic, not believing in any form of

afterlife The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving e ...

. He claimed that human beings should not consider

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

a terrifying moment, but rather accept it as a biological necessity. He supported active

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eutha ...

, affirming the right of any individual to end their life if it became unbearable due to suffering or loss of dignity. He advocated the necessity to regulate euthanasia at a national level, citing

Dutch legislation Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People ...

as a good starting point; he was promoting a campaign for the introduction of living will as a legally binding agreement between the

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

and the incapacitated patient. Veronesi supported

genetically modified organism A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. The exact definition of a genetically modified organism and what constitutes genetic engineering varies, with ...

s as a way to produce food with higher

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient ...

al capabilities and deprived of potentially

carcinogen A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive substa ...

ic substances. He criticized the current opposition to GMOs as being due to lack of scientific knowledge. Veronesi was an ethical vegetarian and an

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sam ...

advocate.

Awards

* Veronesi received thirteen national and international honorary degrees in medicine, medical biotechnologies, physics, agricultural sciences and pedagogical sciences. * In 2002 he received the

King Faisal International Prize The King Faisal Prize ( ar, جائزة الملك فيصل, formerly King Faisal International Prize), is an annual award sponsored by King Faisal Foundation presented to "dedicated men and women whose contributions make a positive difference". T ...

. In this regard, he then stated: * On 31 January 2004 he became honorary citizen of

Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed t ...

. * In 2009 he received the America Prize of the Italy–USA Foundation. * On 2 August 2010, they named after him a piece of beachfront at Jesolo Beach. * In 2012 he received the " Art, Science and Peace Prize" for his career.Professor Umberto Veronesi’s Speech, Town Hall of Viareggio, Italy, 2 August 2012 (in Italian)
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References

Sources

External links

European Institute of Oncology Website

''e''cancermedicalscience (Open Access journal of the European Institute of Oncology)
*
Fondazione Umberto Veronesi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veronesi, Umberto 1925 births 2016 deaths Physicians from Milan Italian oncologists Italian Ministers of Health Italian agnostics Politicians from Milan