CUTV News Radio spotlights Dr. Victor Vogel of the Geisinger Cancer Institute

Lewisburg, PA – Dr. Victor Vogel is the Director of Breast Medical Oncology and Research at the Geisinger Cancer Institute. For 32 years, Dr. Vogel has stood at the forefront of academic medical oncology, dedicating his career to breast cancer clinical research.

“Early in my career, I got very interested in the question of why women get breast cancer,” says Dr. Vogel.

In the 1980s, mammographic breast screening had not yet been widely implemented, but there was great interest in cancer prevention. Dr. Vogel joined MD Anderson in Houston, a part of the University of Texas and a huge international cancer center. While at MD Anderson, Dr. Vogel established a clinic designed to recruit women who had increased risk of breast cancer.

“For 15 years, I was enrolling women in research studies to answer that question: can we reduce the risk of breast cancer in women by using a simple pill to reduce their risk?” says Dr. Vogel. “And the answer is yes, we were able to do that.”

Not only did these interventions reduce the risk of recurrence in early breast cancer, but tamoxifen reduced the risk of a second breast cancer in the opposite breast. That’s prevention.

After a 25-year career in clinical research, Dr. Vogel spent 16 months as the national vice president for research for the American Cancer Society. In 2010, Dr. Vogel joined the Geisinger Health System, as their cancer center director. Today, Dr. Vogel is the head of Geisinger’s breast cancer program where he sees patients five days a week.

“I thoroughly believe that breast cancer, like small pox and polio, will ultimately be prevented through a more complete understanding of its etiology and the contributing risk factors.”

For more information on Dr. Victor Vogel, visit www.geisinger.edu