Breast cancer research is big business. And the incentives in that business are designed to benefit industry, doctors and institutions, leaving patients behind. In 2018 alone, about $1 billion federal dollars were invested in institutions around the country to fund research.

There are so few individuals who are willing to challenge authority in the world of cancer advocacy. Marlene McCarthy was one of the best at that. Marlene died on July 17; she was 74.