Less Radical

About 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)

Publisher

Stacy Wentworth, M.D.

Category

health & fitness · history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Sept 2024

Latest episode

5 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

13 of 13 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   5 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Cost of Courage

   Host Dr. Anya Sharma interviews Dr. Evelyn Reed about the courageous decisions that revolutionized breast cancer treatment fifty years ago.

2. 

   29 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   What exactly IS the NIH? And is it worth saving?

   Host Michael Green interviews NIH veteran Elizabeth Ginexi about the agency's value and the impact of proposed political approval over scientific review.

3. 

   6 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Can One Person Change the World of Cancer?

   In a recent conversation with Dan Pfeiffer (https://substack.com/profile/1856377-dan-pfeiffer) , historian Heather Cox Richardson (https://substack.com/profile/4875576-heather-cox-richardson) discussed the American deification of self-reliance, represented by the loner cowboy from the 1950’s on. “The myth of the American cowboy,” Richardson posited, “is that he is a true American and wants nothing from the government but to be left alone. He dominates women; he dominates the minorities around him; and he’s good with a gun.” Richardson reminds us, however, that the rough and tough cowboy was really a mirage. Most cowboys were non-white, relied on each other and lived in a world where guns had to be surrendered to enter a town. Richardson feels the American story is instead, represented by another image, “That was to be somebody who believed in community and believed in making sure that you protected your weakest members and made it possible for everybody to have a shot at equal access to resources so they could work hard and rise.” In America, according to Richardson, “if you are individual, you have the power to change the country. You have the power to change your life, you have the power to change the world by working together the way people did during World War II, or the strikers did in the late 1890s, or the civil rights workers did in the 1960s.” I believe this is true in cancer as well. Cancer is a disease that impacts an individual, but it is experienced in community. Whether in a family, friend group, religious community or workplace. Cancer is a communal diagnosis because it will touch each of our lives. It also places the individual among the long line of those that have come before them and those that will come after. Each person has an opportunity to change the future for the next patient. Some do that locally, supporting friends and strangers who whisper a new diagnosis over coffee. Others form research organizations to find earlier detection tests or better treatments. Still others are propelled to enter the arena and become oncologists, caring directly for cancer survivors and their families. Thanks for reading Cancer Culture! Subscribe for free to join the conversation. The last category is the one I will be focusing on during the month of October. These are patients and family members who put their shoulders to the boulder of progress and push it forward. In some cases, these activists moved cancer out of dark corners and into the public light. In others, they demanded a voice in their care. And still others provided millions of dollars in research funding and organized publicity campaigns I will be turning over the Cancer Culture Substack to biographer, Judy Pearson. Judy is a breast cancer survivor, author and friend whose new book, Radical Sisters, highlights the impact of three incredible women who dedicated their lives to changing the world of breast cancer. Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner and Evelyn Lauder ignited a movement that changed the world. Susan G. Komen founder Nancy Brinker remembers working alongside these women, “We worked at a time when the word breast could scarcely be uttered in public, let alone printed in mass media advertising. Our paths were shaped by shared goals but also marked by occasional differences. We competed, debated and sometimes squabbled, but beneath it all, there was a deep and abiding respect. Though we came from different places, with different stories, our purpose united us: To life the veil of silence surrounding breast cancer and to create a world where this disease no longer threatened the lives of women.” As Cox-Richardson reminds us of and these three women demonstrate, WE all have the power to change our lives and the world around us by working together. To orient yourself to these stories, I recommend listening to the Bonus Episode of Less Radical which I’ve reposted above. As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cancerculture.substack.com (https://cancerculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

4. 

   30 Jun 2025TRANSCRIPT

   When Surviving Cancer Isn't Enough

   Host Daniel Flora, MD, PharmD, interviews cancer survivors Mark and Yvonne, who share their experiences with life-changing side effects after treatment, highlighting the hidden costs of cancer, followed by a discussion with Dr. Bhishram Chera about less toxic treatments.

5. 

   2 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Vote for us in the Webby Awards!

   I’m thrilled to tell you that Less Radical has received TWO nominations in the 29th annual Webby Awards: We’re up for Best Indie Podcast - Limited Run (https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/features/best-indie-podcast-limited-run) and Best Podcast - Documentary (https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/documentary). We were chosen out of 13,000 entries! We’re up against companies like Audible, Wondery, Mother Jones, and Al-Jazeera, so we need your help. You can vote for Less Radical in both categories until midnight PT on Thursday, April 17th. * Vote for Less Radical for Best Indie Podcast - Limited Run (https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/features/best-indie-podcast-limited-run) * Vote for Less Radical for Best Podcast - Documentary (https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/limited-series-specials/documentary) And after you’ve voted, tell a friend! We’re so grateful for your support of our tiny but mighty team. Together we can make Dr. Bernie Fisher a household name! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cancerculture.substack.com (https://cancerculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

6. 

   11 Dec 2024TRANSCRIPT

   BONUS: What Could Be Better Than a Mammogram?

   Breast cancer survivors Martha Kaley and surgeon Dr. Laura Esserman challenge the outdated mammogram screening approach, advocating for a more personalized and effective way to detect and prevent breast cancer.

7. 

   23 Oct 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 5: Bureaucrats, Administrators, and Politicians

   When a colleague’s misconduct is discovered, Fisher is forced to resign from the NSABP and becomes the subject of a Congressional investigation. As the walls close in, Fisher fights back. He spends the rest of his life trying to restore his reputation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cancerculture.substack.com (https://cancerculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

8. 

   16 Oct 2024TRANSCRIPT

   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 promise to change the treatment of breast cancer forever... if only it were that easy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cancerculture.substack.com (https://cancerculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

9. 

   9 Oct 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 3: Microbe Hunters and Magic Bullets

   In 1958, Bernie Fisher participated in the first randomized clinical trial in patients with breast cancer. The trial was a disaster, leading most surgeons to abandon the idea of using chemotherapy to cure more patients. Bernie, however, noticed something different. This put him on a path that would change the course of cancer treatment forever. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cancerculture.substack.com (https://cancerculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

10. 

    5 Oct 2024TRANSCRIPT

    BONUS: The Other Side of the Knife

    For most of history, the voices of women with breast cancer have been silent, including the daughter of an American president. Fifty years ago, they began to speak. While Bernie Fisher worked to change doctor’s minds, women demanded input into their care. Those whose lives are impacted by cancer continue to influence how doctors, including me, approach our patients and your treatment. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cancerculture.substack.com (https://cancerculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

11. 

    2 Oct 2024TRANSCRIPT

    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 breast cancer was with radical surgery. For the next hundred years, millions of breast cancer survivors bore the mark of his disfiguring approach. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cancerculture.substack.com (https://cancerculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

12. 

    25 Sept 2024TRANSCRIPT

    Episode 1: Who is Bernie Fisher?

    Our story begins exactly fifty years ago. On a fall weekend in late September 1974, a former dancer from Michigan and a young surgeon from Pittsburgh met just outside Washington, DC. The treatment of breast cancer would never be the same. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cancerculture.substack.com (https://cancerculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

13. 

    10 Sept 2024TRANSCRIPT

    Introducing: Less Radical (coming September 25th)

    Introducing Less Radical, the true story of Dr. Bernie Fisher, the surgeon-scientist who revolutionized the way we treat breast cancer. After generations of surgeons subjecting women to brutal, disfiguring surgeries, Bernie found a better way. And the thanks he got? 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. The first episode of Less Radical debuts September 25. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cancerculture.substack.com (https://cancerculture.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

Inside a recent episode

The Cost of Courage

Published 5 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] When a woman felt a mass, or when her doctor found one, she went straight into surgery. Surgery was the only treatment This is Dr. Bernard Fisher. Bernie, as he was known by friends, family, and colleagues, he was the nation's leading breast cancer researcher in the early 70s. Really, he was one of the only breast cancer researchers in the world. At the time, doctors practiced what they called a one-step procedure for breast cancer. Women went under anesthesia, the doctors biopsied the lump, and if it turned out to be cancer, the mastectomy began. There was no consultation. It all happened while the woman was under. […]

Who has been a guest on Less Radical

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Elizabeth Ginexi
• Michael Green
• Mark
• Yvonne
• Dr Bhishram Chera

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

65 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

28 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 34 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

34

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

Contact Less Radical

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Less Radical