The world of oncology lost a giant in the passing of Blake Cady, MD, FACS, on July 15, 2023. "World," because the impact he had was not only on those who had the privilege to know him professionally and personally but on all those he helped directly and indirectly in his dedication to educate, mentor, and treat. "Oncology" because his contributions were in every aspect of oncology, beyond surgical oncology.
Dr. Cady did not just accept the status quo but was innovative, constantly stimulating thoughtful analysis and challenging many conventional ideas. He understood the importance of biology and championed the ideas of lesser surgery and treatment: sentinel node biopsy for early breast cancer, subtotal thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer, and lumpectomy without radiation for selected small breast cancers long before “de-escalation” became mainstream. One of his favorite quotes was, “regional lymph nodes are indicators, but not governors of survival.” He advocated for the omission of axillary surgery in carefully selected patients 30 years before the “Choosing Wisely” campaign.
Dr. Cady attended Cornell University Medical College, served in the US Navy prior to his surgical training at the New England Deaconess Hospital and surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. His career included serving as faculty at the Lahey Clinic Foundation, chief of Surgical Oncology at New England Deaconess Hospital, professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and then professor of surgery at Brown University Medical School, where he started the breast fellowship. He was also instrumental in helping to implement breast fellowships throughout the US.
He was elected president of multiple organizations: the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Cancer Society, the Boston Surgical Society, the New England Surgical Society, the New England Cancer Society (NECS), the American Association of Endocrine Surgery and the Society of Surgical Oncology. He authored more than 300 publications, book chapters, and other peer-reviewed articles and served as founding editor of the Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America. The number of lectures he gave throughout his career all over the world are too numerous to count.
His awards included the Shattuck Medal of the MA Public Health Association, the Chadwick Medal of the MA Thoracic Society, the Annual Division award and the National Distinguished Service Award, both from the American Cancer Society, all related to efforts in tobacco control. Honorary lecture awards included the Haynes Martin Lecture of the Head and Neck Surgeons, the Annual CoC Oncology lecture, the presidential Award of the NECS, the Annual Heritage Award of the Society of Surgical Oncology, the annual Inspiration Award of the National Consortium of Breast Centers, and the annual "Make Smoking History" award of the MA Department of Public Health.
Dr. Blake Cady was my mentor, teacher and friend and I was fortunate enough to have trained under him for my breast fellowship at Brown. He was technically an exceptional surgeon, performing axillary dissections with ease using a scalpel. He was one of the most brilliant people I’ve known. He could recite the most recent studies and also those of decades ago with pinpoint accuracy and detail but would admit when he was wrong, though rare as it was.
Even more, he was an exceptional person, a true role model: he influenced and challenged those around him to be their best without being condescending, was confident but not arrogant, never expected more than what he contributed himself, gave credit when credit was due and never took credit for others’ work. He funded the surgical research fund with the honorariums that he received from lectures, expert witness reviews, and industry. He was very vested in capturing the curiosity and enthusiasm of those early in their training, from college students to fellows. He felt that developing an early love of research and surgery may translate into a life-long affair. He was motivated not by fame or money but by intellectual curiosity and the desire to pass on that intellectual curiosity and knowledge to others.
Dr. Cady changed my life when he took me under his wing. Amanda Kong, MD, FACS, who also trained with him also felt similarly: “Dr. Cady is the reason I am doing what I am doing today. As a medical student at Brown, he was an inspiration for me, the quintessential mentor. He was a gentleman and introduced me to his colleagues as if I was a peer. He taught me to look at things critically and ask questions, to always remain intellectually curious. Most of all, he taught me through example of what it was to be a great academic surgeon who was as passionate about his research as he was about patient care. It was these early moments in my medical student life that eventually brought me to my career in breast surgical oncology today.”
His legacy will live on in every person that had the privilege to have known him and been taught by him, who are now passing what was learned to others, and in all the patients he has helped, whether they realize it or not. Everyone should be so lucky to have known someone like him in his or her career.
He will truly be missed. As Dr. Cady said, “Biology is King; selection of cases is Queen, and the technical details of surgical procedures are princes and princesses of the realm who frequently try to overthrow the powerful forces of the King and Queen, usually to no long-term avail, although with some temporary apparent victories.”
Dr. Cady's Celebration of Life will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 pm ET on November 5 at The Country Club in Brookline, MA. RSVP to Dorothy Cady at bcady123@comcast.net.
Dr. Susan Lee is the Chief of Breast Surgery at Northwell Health Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, NY. She is a member of the CoC and a former CoC State Chair in New York.
