Thomas Dao
Encyclopedia
Ling Yuan "Thomas" Dao was a Chinese American
physician and specialist in breast cancer, its causes and treatment, who was one of the earliest proponents of minimalist alternatives to radical mastectomy
as a treatment option for breast cancer
, in addition to advocacy of breast self-examination
and mammography
as means to detect breast cancer as early as possible.
, China
, where his father was a lawyer. There he went to Soochow University
, where he received his undergraduate degree. He attended Saint John's University
in Shanghai
, where he earned his master's degree and received his medical training, and went to the United States in 1949 for a residency
in surgery. He had planned to return to China, but chose to reside in the U.S. after Mao Zedong
rose to power. Once he settled in the United States, he adopted the name "Thomas".
winner Dr. Charles Brenton Huggins
at the University of Chicago Medical School
as a researcher assisting in Huggins' studies of how hormone
s relate to cancer in humans. There, Dao participated in research studies of treating advanced cases of breast cancer by surgical removal of the adrenal gland
and ovaries
. In 1951 he became an instructor in surgery at the medical school, and was named assistant professor of surgery in 1954.
Starting in 1957, he served at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute
in Buffalo, New York
as director of its breast surgery department, focusing on treatment of breast cancer and research into how it is caused and stimulated by hormones. At the time, radical mastectomy was the standard method of treatment used for 90% of cases until the 1970s, involving a surgical procedure where the entire affected breast, axillary lymph node
s and underlying chest muscle (including the pectoral muscles
) were removed as soon as a malignant tumor was found through a biopsy
. Dao's research showed that more conservative approaches in which the mastectomy was not performed immediately and in which much smaller portions of tissue were removed were just as effective as the radical approach. In 1974, Dao was the physician who performed a modified radical mastectomy for Rose Kushner
, who was to become an effective patient activist in opposition to the more radical standard treatments for breast cancer. He endorsed her controversial 1975 book on the subject of breast cancer and its treatment, saying "Every woman in the United States should read this book." By the time of his death, the prevailing standard was a two-step approach in which a patient takes time to consider treatment options with their physician after malignant tumors have been identified. He served at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute until 1988.
. He died at age 88 on July 16, 2009, at Hospice Buffalo in Cheektowaga, New York due to Pick's disease
. He was survived by his second wife, who he married in 1954, as well as by their two daughters and two sons, four children from a first marriage that ended in divorce, 14 grandchildren and a great-grandson.
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
physician and specialist in breast cancer, its causes and treatment, who was one of the earliest proponents of minimalist alternatives to radical mastectomy
Radical mastectomy
Radical mastectomy is a surgical procedure in which the breast, underlying chest muscle , and lymph nodes of the axilla are removed as a treatment for breast cancer....
as a treatment option for breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, in addition to advocacy of breast self-examination
Breast self-examination
Breast self-examination is a screening method used in an attempt to detect early breast cancer. The method involves the woman herself looking at and feeling each breast for possible lumps, distortions or swelling....
and mammography
Mammography
Mammography is the process of using low-energy-X-rays to examine the human breast and is used as a diagnostic and a screening tool....
as means to detect breast cancer as early as possible.
Early life and education
Dao was born on April 27, 1921, in SuzhouSuzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, where his father was a lawyer. There he went to Soochow University
Soochow University (Suzhou)
Soochow University , colloquially known in Chinese as Suda is a university in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. The school is part of the Chinese Ministry of Education's Project 211, and a Jiangsu provincial key comprehensive university.-History:...
, where he received his undergraduate degree. He attended Saint John's University
Saint John's University, Shanghai
St. John's University was an Anglican university located in Shanghai, China. Before the Chinese Civil War it was regarded as one of the most prestigious universities in Shanghai and China...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, where he earned his master's degree and received his medical training, and went to the United States in 1949 for a residency
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
in surgery. He had planned to return to China, but chose to reside in the U.S. after Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
rose to power. Once he settled in the United States, he adopted the name "Thomas".
Medical career
He worked for future Nobel PrizeNobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winner Dr. Charles Brenton Huggins
Charles Brenton Huggins
Charles Brenton Huggins was a Canadian-born American physician and physiologist and cancer researcher at the University of Chicago specializing in prostate cancer. He and Peyton Rous were awarded the 1966 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discovering that hormones could be used to control...
at the University of Chicago Medical School
Pritzker School of Medicine
The Pritzker School of Medicine is the M.D. granting unit of the Biological Sciences Division of the University of Chicago. It is located on the University's main campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, and matriculated its first class in 1927...
as a researcher assisting in Huggins' studies of how hormone
Hormone
A hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. In essence, it is a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one...
s relate to cancer in humans. There, Dao participated in research studies of treating advanced cases of breast cancer by surgical removal of the adrenal gland
Adrenal gland
In mammals, the adrenal glands are endocrine glands that sit atop the kidneys; in humans, the right suprarenal gland is triangular shaped, while the left suprarenal gland is semilunar shaped...
and ovaries
Ovary
The ovary is an ovum-producing reproductive organ, often found in pairs as part of the vertebrate female reproductive system. Ovaries in anatomically female individuals are analogous to testes in anatomically male individuals, in that they are both gonads and endocrine glands.-Human anatomy:Ovaries...
. In 1951 he became an instructor in surgery at the medical school, and was named assistant professor of surgery in 1954.
Starting in 1957, he served at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
The Roswell Park Cancer Institute is a comprehensive cancer research and treatment center located in Buffalo, New York. Founded in 1898 by Dr. Roswell Park, it was the first dedicated medical facility for cancer treatment and research in the United States. The facility is involved in drug...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
as director of its breast surgery department, focusing on treatment of breast cancer and research into how it is caused and stimulated by hormones. At the time, radical mastectomy was the standard method of treatment used for 90% of cases until the 1970s, involving a surgical procedure where the entire affected breast, axillary lymph node
Lymph node
A lymph node is a small ball or an oval-shaped organ of the immune system, distributed widely throughout the body including the armpit and stomach/gut and linked by lymphatic vessels. Lymph nodes are garrisons of B, T, and other immune cells. Lymph nodes are found all through the body, and act as...
s and underlying chest muscle (including the pectoral muscles
Pectoral muscles
Pectoral muscles can refer to:* Pectoralis major muscle* Pectoralis minor muscle...
) were removed as soon as a malignant tumor was found through a biopsy
Biopsy
A biopsy is a medical test involving sampling of cells or tissues for examination. It is the medical removal of tissue from a living subject to determine the presence or extent of a disease. The tissue is generally examined under a microscope by a pathologist, and can also be analyzed chemically...
. Dao's research showed that more conservative approaches in which the mastectomy was not performed immediately and in which much smaller portions of tissue were removed were just as effective as the radical approach. In 1974, Dao was the physician who performed a modified radical mastectomy for Rose Kushner
Rose Kushner
Rose Rehert Kushner was an American journalist and pioneering advocate for breast cancer patients. She wrote the 1975 book Why Me? What Every Woman Should Know About Breast Cancer to Save Her Life.- Early life and career :...
, who was to become an effective patient activist in opposition to the more radical standard treatments for breast cancer. He endorsed her controversial 1975 book on the subject of breast cancer and its treatment, saying "Every woman in the United States should read this book." By the time of his death, the prevailing standard was a two-step approach in which a patient takes time to consider treatment options with their physician after malignant tumors have been identified. He served at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute until 1988.
Personal
Dao was a resident of Williamsville, New YorkWilliamsville, New York
Williamsville is a village in Erie County, New York in the United States. The population was 5,573 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Jonas Williams, an early settler...
. He died at age 88 on July 16, 2009, at Hospice Buffalo in Cheektowaga, New York due to Pick's disease
Pick's disease
Pick's disease, is a rare neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive destruction of nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms include loss of speech , and dementia. While some of the symptoms can initially be alleviated, the disease progresses and patients often die within two to ten years...
. He was survived by his second wife, who he married in 1954, as well as by their two daughters and two sons, four children from a first marriage that ended in divorce, 14 grandchildren and a great-grandson.