A pioneer in hormone research and cancer treatment
It was while practising surgery and teaching urology at the University of Chicago in the 1930s, that Dr. Huggins discovered that malignant prostate tumours were directly dependent upon the support of male hormones for their growth and proliferation. This knowledge led to the idea that the removal of these hormones and simultaneous treatment with female hormones would cause regression of such tumours. Further research confirmed the effectiveness of this procedure. Between 1959 and 1964, Dr. Huggins and his colleagues in Chicago extended their research to mammary tumours and their relationship to body estrogen levels. Dr. Huggins was a scientist’s scientist who passed his enthusiasm and delight in discovery onward to a whole new generation of medical researchers.
