Current Issue June 2012, Vol. 48, No. 9

On May 4th 2012 the world of cancer screening and imaging lost one of its most credible clinicians and outstanding researchers in a fatal car crash, in Italy, and we lost a friend and much admired colleague.

Stefano was a free-spirited person who worked tirelessly in cancer screening practice, teaching and research; he was a brilliant, courageous man who was strong enough to challenge the status quo and to oppose any abuse of power. At the same time he was a generous and perceptive human being, capable of touching people’s lives in the kindest ways, even from a distance.

Stefano was born in Florence in 1949. During high school and university years he was a bright student with a great passion for knowledge and for music. After graduating in medicine in 1973, he dedicated his time to research and care of cancer patients, at the University of Florence, and was subsequently appointed Associate Professor; in the early ‘80s he moved to the Center for Cancer Prevention of Florence (CSPO, now ISPO) where he entirely dedicated himself to cancer screening and detection, mostly breast and prostate. More recently he moved to Verona, where he continued working in breast screening and imaging research.

We have been fortunate to have known Stefano and to have collaborated with him in research for many years, and we thank him for supporting us in the quest for scientific evidence. He had an inquisitive mind and was skilled in investigating all aspects of cancer diagnosis, from disproving the proposed role of thermography in the 1970’s, to pioneering studies in breast tomosynthesis in 2012, his research productivity has been tremendous (more than 300 peer reviewed publications). Teaching was one of Stefano’s passions, and the majority of Italian radiologists, and many other European breast specialists, with interest in breast cancer diagnosis, have received training by Stefano at some stage. Stefano was also one of the longest serving members of the Editorial Board of The Breast.

Stefano was not only a great scientist and teacher, he was also a loving father, and we offer our condolences to his family. Amongst his many talents, he played the guitar, was a gifted sketch-artist, fiction writer and theatre actor. We would like to remember him as a man who opened his heart to life, who lived a genuine and full life with passion and enthusiasm. We pay tribute to Stefano’s major scientific contributions that have influenced breast cancer imaging practice and thank him for having given much of his time to helping others. Stefano, our friend, we will miss you – rest in peace.

Nehmat Houssami (Sydney, Australia) & Marco Rosselli Del Turco (Rome, Italy)

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