It is with great sadness that ESMO has learned of the death of Professor Aron Goldhirsch, an inquisitive and scientifically rigorous oncologist who brought researchers together to conduct landmark trials that have changed the landscape of treatment for breast cancer.
Professor Goldhirsch was the recipient of the first ESMO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He received the honour jointly with Professor Martine Piccart. They were recognised for co-founding the Breast International Group (BIG), the largest global research network dedicated solely to breast cancer. The idea stemmed from a desire to increase the chance of finding a cure for breast cancer and has led to global collaboration and a common vision for the optimal conduct of breast cancer research.
An ESMO member for nearly four decades, Professor Goldhirsch was a valued Editorial Board Member and Editorial Coordinator for Annals of Oncology, ESMO’s flagship scientific journal. He was known for his scientific rigour and continual search for new knowledge to improve the lives of patients and advance research in breast cancer. Professor Goldhirsch’s own research spanned new treatments for breast cancer, definition of biological features that predict responsiveness or resistance to anti-cancer treatments, and strategies to improve quality of life.
Professor Goldhirsch spent many years at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy, where he became director of the Breast Health Programme. At the same time, he was consultant for senology at the Regional Hospital of Lugano, Switzerland.
ESMO feels honoured to have had such a distinguished oncologist as an active member and offers the Society’s condolences to his family.