Eleanor D. Montague (February 11, 1926 – November 9, 2018)[1] was an American radiologist and educator who established breast-conserving therapy in the United States and improved radiation therapy techniques.[2] She became a member of the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.[3][4]
Early life
Montague was born Eleanor Dino in Genoa, Italy, the only child of Frank and Sylvia Dino.[2] Her family moved to Eastern Pennsylvania when she was in elementary school, where she remained until graduating valedictorian of her high school class.[4][5]
Montague was a pioneer in breast cancer research and treatment. During the 1960s-70s, mastectomy was considered the only cure for breast cancer. Montague instead advocated for lumpectomy, a more moderate surgery, combined with radiation therapy to preserve breast function and appearance for patients with early-stage breast cancer. Following clinical trials and a treatment program Montague initiated at Anderson, breast-conserving therapy became established practice in the United States.[2] Montague also pioneered new radiation therapy techniques and approaches for patients with advanced breast cancer and paved the way for chemotherapy to become part of a multimodal treatment approach.[2]
An award in her name, the Eleanor Montague Distinguished Resident Award in Radiation Oncology, was created by the American Association for Women Radiologists.[4]
She was a member of the board of directors for the American Cancer Society of Therapeutic Radiologists and of the executive of the American Radium Society. Montague served on the National Breast Cancer Task Force and with the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project.[6]
Publications
Montague was a prolific scholar, publishing more than 100 articles during her career. A partial list of her publications:
Montague, E. D. (1967). Current cancer concepts. radiation management of advanced breast cancer. JAMA : The Journal of the American Medical Association, 200(7), 612-612. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.200.7.612
Tapley, N. D., & Montague, E. D. (1976). Elective irradiation with the electron beam after mastectomy for breast cancer. American Journal of Roentgenology (1976), 126(1), 127.
Libshitz, H. I., Montague, E. D., & Paulus, D. D. (1977). Calcifications and the therapeutically irradiated breast. American Journal of Roentgenology (1976), 128(6), 1021.
Libshitz, H. I., Montague, E. D., & Paulus, J., D D. (1978). Skin thickness in the therapeutically irradiated breast. American Journal of Roentgenology (1976), 130(2), 345.
Montague, E. D., & Fletcher, G. H. (1983). The need for every modality treatment to prevent catastrophic local and regional failures in advanced breast cancer. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, 9(3), 419.
Montague, E. D. (1984). Conservation surgery and radiation therapy in the treatment of operable breast cancer. Cancer, 53(3 Suppl), 700.
Montague, E. D., Ames, F. C., Schell, S. R., & Romsdahl, M. M. (1984). Conservation surgery and irradiation as an alternative to mastectomy in the treatment of clinically favorable breast cancer. Cancer, 54(11 Suppl), 2668.
Montague, E. D. (1985). Radiation therapy and breast cancer. past, present, and future. American Journal of Clinical Oncology, 8(6), 455.
Chen, K. K., Montague, E. D., & Oswald, M. J. (1985). Results of irradiation in the treatment of locoregional breast cancer recurrence. Cancer, 56(6), 1269.
Matthews, R. H., McNeese, M. D., Montague, E. D., & Oswald, M. J. (1988). Prognostic implications of age in breast cancer patients treated with tumorectomy and irradiation or with mastectomy. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, 14(4), 659.
^ abHussey, David; Maor, Moshe; Delclos, Luis. "An Interview with Eleanor Montague, MD". American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. Retrieved October 4, 2019.