Less Radical podcast

Less Radical

Less Radical is the story of Dr. Bernie Fisher, the surgeon-scientist who not only revolutionized breast cancer treatment, but also fundamentally changed the way we understand all cancers. He was an unlikely hero-- a Jewish kid from Pittsburgh who had to make it past antisemitic quotas to get into med school. And the thanks he received for his discoveries? A performative, misguided Congressional hearing that destroyed his reputation and haunted him until his death. Over six episodes, radiation oncologist Dr. Stacy Wentworth will take you into operating rooms, through the halls of Congress, and into the labs where breakthrough cancer treatments were not only developed, but discovered. If you or someone you know has had breast cancer, Bernie is a part of your story-- and you’re a part of his. [cancerculture.substack.com] (https://cancerculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Less Radical is the story of Dr. Bernie Fisher, the surgeon-scientist who not only revolutionized breast cancer treatment, but also fundamentally changed the way we understand all cancers. He was an unlikely hero-- a Jewish kid from Pittsburgh who had to make it past antisemitic quotas to get into med school. And the thanks he received for his discoveries? A performative, misguided Congressional hearing that destroyed his reputation and haunted him until his death. Over six episodes, radiation oncologist Dr. Stacy Wentworth will take you into operating rooms, through the halls of Congress, and into the labs where breakthrough cancer treatments were not only developed, but discovered. If you or someone you know has had breast cancer, Bernie is a part of your story-- and you’re a part of his. [cancerculture.substack.com] (https://cancerculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

 

#11

Can One Person Change the World of Cancer?

In a recent conversation with [Dan Pfeiffer] (https://substack.com/profile/1856377-dan-pfe... more

06 Oct 2025

33 MINS

33:57

06 Oct 2025


#10

When Surviving Cancer Isn't Enough

The largest cancer meeting in North America just wrapped up. Held annually in the spring. ... more

30 Jun 2025

56 MINS

56:02

30 Jun 2025


#9

Vote for us in the Webby Awards!

I’m thrilled to tell you that Less Radical has received TWO nominations in the 29th annual... more

02 Apr 2025

01 MINS

01:02

02 Apr 2025


#8

BONUS: What Could Be Better Than a Mammogram?

Mammograms were introduced fifty years ago. Recommendations for women to have annual scree... more

11 Dec 2024

34 MINS

34:56

11 Dec 2024


#7

Episode 5: Bureaucrats, Administrators, and Politicians

When a colleague’s misconduct is discovered, Fisher is forced to resign from the NSABP and... more

23 Oct 2024

54 MINS

54:09

23 Oct 2024


#6

Episode 4: Immovable Objects and Unstoppable Forces

We return to Washington, D.C. In the fall of 1974, the results of Bernie’s clinical trials... more

16 Oct 2024

37 MINS

37:59

16 Oct 2024


#5

Episode 3: Microbe Hunters and Magic Bullets

In 1958, Bernie Fisher participated in the first randomized clinical trial in patients wit... more

09 Oct 2024

30 MINS

30:15

09 Oct 2024


#4

BONUS: The Other Side of the Knife

For most of history, the voices of women with breast cancer have been silent, including th... more

05 Oct 2024

33 MINS

33:57

05 Oct 2024


#3

Episode 2: The Knife is the Cure

At the end of the 19th century, a New York surgeon determined that the only way to cure br... more

02 Oct 2024

25 MINS

25:59

02 Oct 2024


#2

Episode 1: Who is Bernie Fisher?

Our story begins exactly fifty years ago. On a fall weekend in late September 1974, a form... more

25 Sep 2024

26 MINS

26:56

25 Sep 2024


#1

Introducing: Less Radical (coming September 25th)

Introducing Less Radical, the true story of Dr. Bernie Fisher, the surgeon-scientist who r... more

10 Sep 2024

02 MINS

02:26

10 Sep 2024