Richard J. Bleicher, MD, FACS

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Clinical Locations

Fox Chase Cancer Center
333 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111
Phone: 888-369-2427

Chief, Division of Breast Surgery

Director, Breast Fellowship Program

Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology

Attending Surgeon

Clinical Director, Breast Service Line

Specialties

Breast Surgical Oncology

Areas of Expertise

Breast Cancer

Treatment Focus

Novel Treatment Modalities for Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer Clinical Trials
Cosmetic Outcomes in the Treatment of Breast Cancer
Male Breast Cancer
Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia
Ductal Carcinoma in Situ
Timeliness of Treatment

Research Program

Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment

Distinctions

Treatment Philosophy

I am acutely aware of the impact that a breast cancer diagnosis has on an individual. I do my best to foster a positive environment in which to start my patients' course of treatment and take the time to explain the pros and cons of each treatment option, so that they can make an informed decision. My treatment philosophy also includes, not just an emphasis on successful treatment, but also preserving a good cosmetic outcome. I feel fortunate to be a fellowship trained, very highly specialized clinician practicing at Fox Chase Cancer Center, which is an NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, because this combination of factors allows me, and our treatment team, to focus on one thing all day, every day, and do it well: curing breast cancer. Additionally, what may be rarely seen by others, such as unusual pathology results, complex cases, or rare clinical situations (such as male breast cancer or breast cancers whose primary tumor cannot be found), I see frequently. I enjoy using that experience to help individuals where it may be hard for them to find expertise for their specific concern. When it comes to curing breast cancers of all types, I think there is nothing more rewarding that I could do as a clinician.

Follow on Twitter: @RichardBleicher

Educational Background

Fellow, Basic Science Research, Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Fellow, Surgical Oncology, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA
Resident, Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
MD, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 1994
BA, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1990

Certifications

American Board of Surgery - Surgery

Memberships

National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
- Epic User Group Committee
American College of Surgeons
American College of Surgeons Oncology Group
American Medical Informatics Association
American Radium Society
American Society of Clinical Oncology
Association for Academic Surgery
Oncology Group American
Society of Breast Surgeons
International Sentinel Node Society
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
Radiation Therapy Oncology Group
Society of Surgical Oncology
Society of University Surgeons

Honors & Awards

Philadelphia Magazine Top Doctors, 2017-20, 2023-24
Jamie Brooke Lieberman Remembrance Award, Susan G. Komen® Philadelphia, 2020
America's Top Doctors^®, 2016-17
Best Doctors in America^®, Best Doctors Inc., 2014
Breast Cancer Researcher of the Year Award for 2009, Adams County Breast Cancer Coalition
Sentinel Node 2002 Congress Young Investigator Award, 2002
American Society of Clinical Oncology Merit Award, 2002

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Patti Rose

Breast Cancer

At 36, Patti Rose, a wife and mother to seven children, was shocked to learn she had a rare form of breast cancer. Because her husband works in construction and had done several projects for Fox Chase Cancer Center, they knew right away Fox Chase was the right place for Patti's treatment. At Fox Chase, Patti underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy, followed by a lumpectomy and additional surgery. The experience was extremely difficult, but Patti credits the staff at Fox Chase for giving her a positive outlook and helping her get through it. Today, she is cancer free and could not be more pleased with the treatment she received. "Fox Chase helped me to be positive. If I didn’t have that connection with doctors and nurses and even the security guard that I would talk to every time I was there, I think I would have felt more afraid," she said. "Knowing all those people were praying for me, thinking of me, and trying to get me through it made me feel like I could overcome it."

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Tijuana Smith

Breast Cancer

I discovered a pea-sized lump in my right breast at age 36, shortly after my father died. My father had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 19, colon cancer while in his 40s, and then esophageal cancer, which took his life at age 56. After his funeral, I felt I would get cancer one day, and as the oldest of 3 siblings, I thought I would probably be first. I was right.

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Margaret Zuccotti

Breast Cancer

Margaret Zuccotti was a young, energetic 37-year-old mother when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. Upon her doctor's recommendation, she sought treatment at Fox Chase Cancer Center, where she underwent chemotherapy, and, later, a mastectomy, in order to do everything she could to combat her breast cancer. Today she is cancer free, but still goes back to Fox Chase every three weeks for an infusion with maintenance therapy, as follow-up care. "It has now been over 10 years since I learned of my cancer diagnosis," Margaret said. "At the beginning, I had hoped that I could survive two years. Then at two years I was doing well so I thought maybe I would live five more years. Now, 10 years later, I know I have a long life with my wonderful family ahead of me."

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Research Interests

Health services research, breast imaging, breast cancer, population studies; Sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer; Novel treatment modalities for breast cancer; Breast cancer clinical trials; Breast imaging and cancer outcomes, Disparities in breast cancer, Male and female breast cancer.

Selected Publications

Jordan, RM, Rivera-Sanchez L, Kelley K, O’Brien MA, Ruth K, Porpiglia AS, Aggon AA, Ross E, Sigurdson ER, Bleicher RJ. The Impact of an Electromagnetic Seed Localization Device as versus Wire Localization on Breast Conserving Surgery: A Matched Pair Analysis. Ann Surg Oncol 2023; 30 (7), 4111-4119.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37012435/

Bleicher R.J., Moran M.S., Ruth K., Edge S.B., Dietz J.M., Wilke L.G., Stearns V., Kurtzman S.H., Klein J., Yao K.A., The impact of radiotherapy delay in breast conservation patients not receiving chemotherapy and the rationale for dichotomizing the radiation oncology time-dependent standard into two quality measures. Ann Surg Oncol. 29(1): 469-481, 2022.PMC9059503. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34324114.

Williams A.D., Chang C., Sigurdson E.R., Wang C.H., Aggon A.A., Hill M.V., Porpiglia A., Bleicher R.J., Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy and delays in surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ: Implications for the coronavirus pandemic. Ann Surg Oncol. 29(3): 1683-1691, 2022.PMC8504964. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34635974.

Sharp N.E., Sachs D.B., Melchior N.M., Albaneze P., Nardello S., Sigurdson E.R., Deng M., Aggon A.A., Daly J.M., Bleicher R.J., Does the false-negative rate for 1 or 2 negative sentinel nodes after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy translate into a high local recurrence rate? Breast J. 27(4): 335-344, 2021.PMC8927898. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33709448.

Esposito AC, Crawford J, Sigurdson ER, Handorf EA, Hayes SB, Boraas M, Bleicher RJ. Omission of radiotherapy after breast conservation surgery in the postneoadjuvant setting. Journal of Surgical Research, 221:49-57, 2018. PMC5729922

Bleicher RJ, Ruth K, Sigurdson ER, Beck RJ, Ross E, Wong YN, Patel SA, Boraas M, Chang EI, Topham NS, Egleston BL. Time to surgery and breast cancer survival in the United States. In Press, JAMA Oncol 2015

Bleicher RJ, Ruth K, Sigurdson ER, Daly JM, Boraas M, Anderson P, Egleston BL. Breast Conservation Versus Mastectomy for T3 Primaries (>5 cm): A Review of 5,685 Medicare Patients. In Press, Cancer 2015.

Bleicher RJ. Reply to E. Peralta, et al. re: Breast MRI as it is, in contrast to how we wish it to be. J Clin Oncol 2014; 32, 2818-2819.

Loveland-Jones C, Ruth K, Sigurdson ER, Egleston BL, Boraas M, Bleicher RJ. Breast conservation surgery in the Medicare patient: Will the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0011 Trial change the pattern of care? Br Cancer Res Treat 2014; 143, 571-7. [DOI 10.1007/s10549-014-2834-9, PubMed]

Bleicher RJ, Ruth K, Sigurdson ER, Ross E, Wong YN, Patel SA, Boraas M, Topham NS, Egleston BL. Preoperative delays in the United States Medicare population having breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 2012; 30, 4485-92. [DOI 10.1200/JCO.2012.41.7972, PubMed]

Crivello M, Ruth K, Egleston BL, Sigurdson ER, Wong YN, Boraas M, Bleicher RJ. Advanced imaging modalities in early stage breast cancer– preoperative use in the United States Medicare Patient. Ann Surg Oncol 2013; 20: 102-10. [DOI 10.1245/s10434-012-2571-4, PubMed]

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Additional Publications

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