John H Fetting, M.D.

Headshot of John H Fetting
  • Associate Director for Clinical Practice
  • Professor of Oncology
Male

Expertise

Breast Cancer, Medical Oncology

Research Interests

Breast Cancer

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Insurance Information

Main Phone

Outside of Maryland & Washington D.C.

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International Patients

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Locations

Johns Hopkins Medicine - Green Spring Station

Appointment Phone: 410-583-2970
10803 Falls Road
Pavilion III, Suite 1500
Lutherville, MD 21093
Phone: 410-583-2970
Johns Hopkins Medicine - Green Spring Station - Google Maps

Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center

Appointment Phone: 410-955-8964
401 N. Broadway
Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building
Baltimore, MD 21231
Phone: 410-955-8842
Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center - Google Maps

Background

John Fetting, a 30-year veteran of the Johns Hopkins faculty, readily discusses the dramatic changes in the treatment of breast cancer that have evolved during his tenure, such as how clinicians now choose a treatment protocol based on the biological characteristics of the cancer as opposed to a patient’s menopausal status. But he’s more interested in addressing what hasn’t yet happened in breast cancer prevention.

“We are not any closer to “actionable” prevention than when I started my career,” Dr. Fetting says.

He explains that while some risk factors have been identified, such as having a first pregnancy at or after age 30, they don’t represent someone at high risk. “Most women with these risk factors are not going to get breast cancer.  Other than women who carry an inherited mutation, which increases risk, we just don’t have a good idea of who is at sufficient risk for breast cancer to drive action,” Dr. Fetting says.

It’s a reality he is not willing to accept.

“Now that we can sequence the breast cancer genome, we are identifying mutations which can be the targets for treatment. Why can’t we identify genetic changes in normal breast cells which indicate that these cells will develop breast cancer?  If we could, we might be able to identify women at sufficient risk to merit intervention. We might also be able to reassure a lot of women who don’t possess these changes in their breasts that they are not at risk,” Dr. Fetting says.

That’s why, as he enters the final years of his career, Dr. Fetting is embarking on a fundraising crusade to support of breast cancer prevention research at Hopkins. The John Fetting Fund for Breast Cancer Prevention Research was initiated by one of his patient’s, Leslie Ries, and her husband, Tom. The five-year goal of the recently-initiated fund is $5 million dollars.

Encouraged by the field’s vastly increased understanding of the biology of breast cancer, Dr. Fetting expects these advancements to be successfully applied to prevention if the research is adequately supported. “There is strong support for research on cancer treatment. Support for prevention research is much harder to come by. Philanthropy can enable us to take advantage of the tremendous prevention opportunities presented to us by our rapidly increasing understanding of the breast cancer genome and epigenome,” he says.

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Titles

  • Associate Director for Clinical Practice
  • Professor of Oncology
  • Professor of Medicine
  • Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Departments / Divisions

Centers & Institutes

Education

Degrees

  • MD; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1975)

Residencies

  • Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1977)
  • Psychiatry; Massachusetts General Hospital (1980)

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine) (1979)
  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology) (1983)
  • American Board of Psychiatry And Neurology (Psychiatry) (1981)

Research & Publications

Clinical Trial Keywords

Breast cancer

Activities & Honors

Honors

  • Inducted Member, The Miller-Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence, 2015
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