Women Who Changed the Fight Against Breast Cancer

By Dhyani Desari and Mrunal Deore

Advancing the Science of Breast Cancer

Scientific discovery is at the core of progress against breast cancer. The researchers featured here have expanded what we know about the disease while also laying the foundation for more effective prevention strategies, earlier detection, and more personalized care.

Dr. Mary-Claire King: Unlocking the Genetics Behind Breast Cancer Risk

A mathematician-turned-geneticist at UC Berkeley, Dr. King changed the trajectory of cancer research by chasing a single clue. She spent 17 years on one question: could breast cancer run in families because of a shared gene? In 1990, she answered it. By mapping the BRCA1 gene to chromosome 17, she showed that inherited mutations could dramatically increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Dr. King demonstrated that some forms of early-onset breast cancer were inherited and showed that a single gene could explain the disease in certain families. This insight opened the door to genetic testing, early detection, and preventive strategies that save lives today. Women with a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation face a lifetime breast cancer risk of up to about 72%, compared with about 13% in the general population (National Cancer Institute).

Even though another team later cloned and sequenced the gene, Dr. King’s discovery created a roadmap for linking genes to disease. Beyond the lab, she has advocated for accessible genetic testing and used genomics to reunite missing persons and support human rights investigations. Her legacy proves that curiosity, courage, and groundbreaking science can turn complex genetics into life-saving action for people around the world.

Dr. Susan Horwitz: Decoding Chemotherapy

Biochemist Dr. Susan Band Horwitz played a key role in uncovering how paclitaxel, a chemotherapy drug derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree, can stop cancer in its tracks. Paclitaxel is now widely used to treat breast cancer and several other cancers, but when it was first discovered, scientists did not know how it worked.

Dr. Horwitz revealed that paclitaxel targets microtubules, tiny scaffolds inside cells that help them divide. Normally, these structures constantly grow and shrink to allow cell division. Paclitaxel locks them in place, freezing the cell’s machinery. With their scaffolding stuck, cancer cells cannot divide and eventually die. Her work not only explained why paclitaxel is effective, but also laid the foundation for developing other drugs that target cell division, giving clinicians more tools to fight cancer at the molecular level.

Her work is a reminder that understanding how something works at the cellular level is often what makes better prevention and treatment possible – and that asking precise questions leads to answers that change outcomes.

Dr. Mina Bissell: Redefining the Biology of Cancer

For decades, scientists believed that cancer was driven almost entirely by genetic mutations inside cells. Dr. Mina Bissell, a pioneering cell biologist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, challenged this idea by showing that a cell’s environment plays a powerful role in whether cancer develops. Her research focused on how breast cells interact with the structures and signals around them, known as the extracellular matrix.

Through her experiments, Dr. Bissell revealed that the physical structure of tissue and the chemical signals from a cell’s environment can determine whether cells behave normally or start forming tumors. In some cases, she even showed that changing the surrounding environment could coax seemingly cancerous cells back toward normal behavior. Her findings echo a theme at the heart of prevention: context matters, from the tissue around a cell to the world around us.

Dr. Bissell’s work reshaped cancer biology by proving that genes are not the only factor and that the context in which cells exist matters just as much. Her research continues to guide studies on how tissue structure, cellular signaling, and environmental exposures influence the development of diseases like breast cancer, providing insight into both treatment and prevention strategies.

Dr. Ana Soto: Uncovering the Estrogen in Plastic

If Dr. Bissell showed that a cell’s surroundings matter, Dr. Ana Soto helped reveal what those surroundings can contain. In 1987, Soto and her longtime colleague Dr. Carlos Sonnenschein, cell biologists at Tufts University School of Medicine, noticed something strange: estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells in their lab were multiplying whether or not estrogen had been added. After months of ruling out every variable, they traced the problem to the plastic tubes used to store their samples. The manufacturer had quietly changed the resin. The culprit was nonylphenol, a plastic additive that behaves like estrogen in the body. Their accidental discovery became a founding moment in the study of endocrine disruption.

Soto went on to study bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in polycarbonate plastics and food can linings. In rodent studies, her team and collaborators found that exposure to low, environmentally relevant doses of BPA before birth altered mammary gland development and was linked to precancerous lesions and, in some cases, mammary tumors later in life.

Her work challenged a long-held assumption in toxicology: that small doses are harmless. It showed that when exposure happens can matter as much as how much – and that the earliest stages of development are among the most vulnerable. That insight is central to why prevention has to start early, and why safer products matter for the next generation.

Dr. Shanna Swan: Connecting Chemical Exposure to Reproductive and Hormonal Health

Dr. Shanna Swan, a reproductive epidemiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has spent decades studying how synthetic chemicals in everyday products interfere with the body’s hormonal systems. Her research on phthalates – chemicals found in plastics, personal care products, and food packaging – helped establish how pervasive endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) exposure has become, and what it may be costing us. Her studies linked prenatal phthalate exposure to changes in genital development in baby boys, and she was part of a 2017 analysis of 185 studies that found sperm counts among men in Western countries had dropped by more than 50% in roughly four decades.

Her 2021 book Count Down brought this science to a mainstream audience, documenting dramatic shifts in reproductive health over recent decades and linking them to the chemical environment we live in. While her work spans reproductive health broadly, the hormonal disruption she documents is directly relevant to breast cancer risk – estrogen-disrupting chemicals are among the exposures BCPP tracks most closely.

Dr. Swan’s research makes the case that these aren’t individual risk factors to be managed privately. They are systemic, largely invisible, and built into the products most people use every day without a second thought. Her work strengthens the scientific foundation for the precautionary principle: when evidence points to harm, we shouldn’t wait for certainty to act.

From Discovery to Action: Science Meets Advocacy

The researchers above transformed our understanding of breast cancer, from our genes and cells to the chemicals in our everyday environment. But scientific discovery alone doesn’t protect anyone. Translating that knowledge into public awareness, policy change, and individual action is where science meets advocacy – and where the following women have done some of their most important work.

Henrietta Lacks: The Woman Behind HeLa

Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951 and was receiving treatment at Johns Hopkins when doctors collected samples of her tumor without her knowledge or consent. Unlike most human cells, which can divide only a limited number of times, Lacks’s cancer cells could keep dividing indefinitely in the lab. This was partly due to increased activity of telomerase, an enzyme that keeps the ends of chromosomes from shortening. Her cells also contained DNA from human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV-18), which produces proteins that interfere with the normal controls on cell division. These cells, known as HeLa cells, became the first immortal human cell line and transformed medical research.

HeLa cells helped scientists prove that a virus could cause cancer, a discovery that paved the way for the HPV vaccine – one of the most powerful cancer prevention tools we have today. HeLa cells have also become a standard tool in breast cancer research. Scientists use HeLa-based assays to test whether specific BRCA1 mutations disrupt the cell’s ability to repair damaged DNA, which helps clarify which inherited variants raise breast cancer risk.

Lacks died in October 1951, at just 31 years old. Her name was kept out of the scientific record, and her family did not learn that her cells were being used around the world until more than 20 years later. In 2023, her family reached a settlement with a biotech company that had profited from her cells, and Johns Hopkins has acknowledged it should have done more to inform and work with them. Her story raises lasting questions about consent, medical ethics, and the long history of mistreatment of Black patients in medicine.

Andrea Martin: Founder of BCPP

Andrea Ravinett Martin founded Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP, then the Breast Cancer Fund) in 1992, guided by her belief that “with teamwork and perseverance anything is possible – if taken one step at a time.”

After two breast cancer diagnoses, Martin drew on her background in law, business, and advocacy to build BCPP. Her vision centered on raising public awareness about breast cancer prevention and drawing attention to environmental factors linked to increased risk. In doing so, she helped broaden public understanding of the preventable environmental contributors to breast cancer.

Guided by Martin’s vision, BCPP continues to translate complex scientific research into accessible tools that help people make informed choices about their health. The organization also educates the public about environmental risk factors, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals in everyday products – some of which build up in the body over time, while others raise concern through repeated daily exposure.

Her work made prevention a key part of the breast cancer conversation, especially for younger generations, alongside screening and treatment. By advocating for stronger regulations, safer consumer products, and greater public awareness,  Martin helped drive systemic changes aimed at reducing breast cancer risk.

Rachel Carson: Author of Silent Spring

After World War II, the use of synthetic pesticides expanded rapidly. These chemicals accumulated in the environment and, ultimately, in our bodies, posing serious threats to human health. Rachel Carson was a pioneer in exposing the environmental damage caused by these chemicals and in linking that harm to broader public health concerns.

A marine biologist and writer, Carson began documenting in the late 1950s how pesticides were infiltrating nature and harming wildlife. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1960 while still writing what would become Silent Spring. Published in 1962, the book brought national attention to the harmful effects of chemicals released into the environment and raised urgent questions about their impact on human health.

In 1963, while seriously ill, Carson testified before a Senate subcommittee, arguing that environmental protection and public safety are deeply interconnected. Her work is widely credited with sparking the modern environmental movement and building momentum for the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, as well as later laws like the Clean Water Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act.

While Carson’s work was groundbreaking, many corporations continue to resist transparency about the toxic chemicals used in their products. Some still rely on marketing strategies that create a false sense of safety and trust among consumers. Even so, organizations inspired by Carson’s legacy, including Silent Spring Institute, continue to carry forward her mission through evidence-based advocacy and a commitment to public health.

Sandra Steingraber: Following Carson Downstream

Sandra Steingraber was diagnosed with bladder cancer at 20, while she was a biology student at Illinois Wesleyan University. When doctors asked about family history, she could list relatives with cancer, including an aunt with the same type of bladder cancer. But Steingraber was adopted, so her family history couldn’t explain her cancer. Years later, she learned that the drinking water wells in her Illinois hometown had contained traces of farm and industrial chemicals, including some linked to bladder cancer.

That question – what’s in the water? – shaped her career. Trained as a biologist and ecologist, Steingraber wrote Living Downstream in 1997, widely known as the first book to bring together data on toxic chemical releases with data from U.S. cancer registries. The book became a college textbook and a 2010 documentary, and it earned her comparisons to Rachel Carson, whom she calls her guiding spirit.

Steingraber’s work reframes cancer as something shaped not only by genes and personal choices, but by the air, water, and soil we share. Her message is one POB carries forward: prevention means changing what we allow into our environment, not just asking individuals to manage their own risk.

Janelle Hail: Advancing Early Detection

At just 34 years old, Janelle Hail was diagnosed with breast cancer at a time when access to patient education and support resources was far more limited than it is today. Fortunately, a habit she had developed years earlier may have saved her life. After learning how to perform breast self-exams in her junior high health class, she continued them into adulthood and was able to detect an abnormal lump early, prompting her to seek medical attention right away.

Following her recovery, Hail founded the National Breast Cancer Foundation to address gaps in awareness and support. Since then, her work has focused on promoting education, encouraging early detection, and expanding access to screening, particularly in underserved communities. Hail’s advocacy highlights the importance of empowering individuals with knowledge and ensuring that lifesaving screening tools are available to everyone.

Understanding Racial Disparities in Breast Cancer Research and Care

Breast cancer does not affect all women equally. According to the American Cancer Society, Black women have a 38% higher breast cancer mortality rate than white women, despite a 5% lower incidence. The gap is even wider for younger women: Black women under 50 die from breast cancer at about twice the rate of white women their age. These differences are linked to later diagnosis, unequal access to high-quality care, and higher rates of aggressive subtypes like triple-negative breast cancer, which Black women are diagnosed with at two to three times the rate of white women. These gaps didn’t appear overnight. The stories below trace how they took shape and who is working to close them.

Henrietta Lacks: The Woman Behind HeLa

Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951 and was receiving treatment at Johns Hopkins when doctors collected samples of her tumor without her knowledge or consent. Unlike most human cells, which can divide only a limited number of times, Lacks’s cancer cells could keep dividing indefinitely in the lab. This was partly due to increased activity of telomerase, an enzyme that keeps the ends of chromosomes from shortening. Her cells also contained DNA from human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV-18), which produces proteins that interfere with the normal controls on cell division. These cells, known as HeLa cells, became the first immortal human cell line and transformed medical research.

HeLa cells helped scientists prove that a virus could cause cancer, a discovery that paved the way for the HPV vaccine – one of the most powerful cancer prevention tools we have today. HeLa cells have also become a standard tool in breast cancer research. Scientists use HeLa-based assays to test whether specific BRCA1 mutations disrupt the cell’s ability to repair damaged DNA, which helps clarify which inherited variants raise breast cancer risk.

Lacks died in October 1951, at just 31 years old. Her name was kept out of the scientific record, and her family did not learn that her cells were being used around the world until more than 20 years later. In 2023, her family reached a settlement with a biotech company that had profited from her cells, and Johns Hopkins has acknowledged it should have done more to inform and work with them. Her story raises lasting questions about consent, medical ethics, and the long history of mistreatment of Black patients in medicine.

Audre Lorde: Breaking the Silence

Poet and activist Audre Lorde was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 1978 and underwent a mastectomy. Against the advice of her medical team, she refused to wear a prosthesis. To her, hiding the results of surgery meant hiding the reality of the disease – and isolating women from one another at the moment they most needed to connect.

In 1980, she published The Cancer Journals, one of the first public accounts of breast cancer and mastectomy written by a Black woman. Moving between journal entries, memoir, and essay, Lorde refused the silence that surrounded the disease. As she put it, “Your silence will not protect you.” She wrote openly about facing breast cancer as a Black lesbian woman in a medical system that rarely saw women like her – naming an invisibility that advocates are still working to end today.

Lorde also asked questions that mainstream cancer organizations were not asking at the time. She challenged them, including the American Cancer Society, for overlooking how our air, food, and water might be contributing to cancer. Decades before environmental health became a mainstream conversation, she was naming it as a political issue, not just a personal one.

Lorde lived with cancer for 14 years before her death in 1992. Her insistence on speaking openly, centering women’s own experiences, and connecting illness to the conditions we live in remains a foundation for breast cancer advocacy today.

Ricki Fairley: Confronting the Disparity

Ricki Fairley has made closing these gaps her life’s work. A triple-negative breast cancer survivor and longtime marketing executive, she turned her strategic skills toward advocacy and co-founded TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance. TOUCH treats Black breast cancer as a distinct disease state, with the goal of reducing mortality among Black women.

One of Fairley’s central focuses is research itself. Black women remain underrepresented in clinical trials, which means the treatments that set the standard of care have been tested on very few Black bodies. Through her When We Tri(al) movement and the #BlackDataMatters research study, she is working to change who gets studied and who benefits from scientific progress.

Fairley’s work is a reminder that prevention and progress have to reach everyone. Closing these gaps requires better data, more inclusive research, and a hard look at the exposures and inequities that put some communities at greater risk than others.

Working to Break Barriers for the Future

While these brilliant women have made an extraordinary impact, they are far from the only ones whose strength and advocacy have shaped the fight against breast cancer. Many women whose stories are never widely told face a breast cancer diagnosis with remarkable courage and resilience. Their experiences, too, have helped build stronger communities of support, awareness, and prevention.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we want to take time to reflect on the strength women bring to their communities and the determination they show in the face of adversity. Protect Our Breasts was founded on the belief that the next generation deserves to understand these risks and has the power to do something about them. These women show us what that looks like, and we aim to carry their work forward. By contributing both to scientific awareness and to advocacy for stronger toxic chemical policies, we are proud to fight for public health and help shape a more informed and healthier future.