- Fellowship - MD Anderson Cancer Center (1984-1985), Surgical Oncology
- Residency - University of CA Los Angeles Med Ctr (1979-1984), Surgery
- Internship - University of California at San Diego (1978-1979), Surgery
- Medical School - UT Southwestern Medical School (1974-1978)
- Other Post Graduate Training - University of California San Diego

Marilyn Leitch, M.D.
- S.T. Harris Family Distinguished Chair in Breast Surgery, in Honor of A. Marilyn Leitch, M.D.
- Surgery - Surgical Oncology
- Surgery for Breast Cancer
- Breast Disease
Biography
A. Marilyn Leitch, M.D., joined UT Southwestern Medical Center in 1986 after completing a fellowship in surgical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. At UT Southwestern, Dr. Leitch has spearheaded the establishment of the Center for Breast Care, one of the nation’s leading multidisciplinary groups dedicated to breast cancer evaluation and treatment.
Her work has included understanding the impact of anti-hormonal therapy or chemotherapy on breast cancer prior to surgery; addressing early detection of breast cancer by the development of guidelines and implementation of enhanced screening; and finding ways to make breast surgery less radical, particularly for patients with more than one tumor in the breast and those with involved lymph nodes. She also has a keen commitment to understanding and addressing health care disparities that affect cancer diagnosis and treatment.
To help patients, Dr. Leitch applies the latest advancements in:
- Management of all types of breast cancer, including infiltrating ductal carcinoma, infiltrating lobular carcinoma, inflammatory breast cancer, lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), metaplastic breast cancer, cystosarcoma phyllodes, mucinous or colloid carcinoma, micropapillary cancer, tubular cancer, medullary carcinoma, and Paget’s disease.
- Minimally invasive breast cancer surgery, oncoplastic surgical techniques, neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer and sarcomas
Dr. Leitch was included in D Magazine's Best Doctors list for 2018, 2021, and 2022. She was also named a Texas Monthly Super Doctor in 2018.
As a national leader in breast cancer research, Dr. Leitch’s patients have access to the latest clinical trials, many of which are only available in North Texas at UT Southwestern.
She serves on the Breast Cancer Steering Committee for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and is a member of the board of directors for the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, one of the nation’s foremost NCI cooperative groups for cancer research.
Dr. Leitch is fluent in Spanish and French.
Meet Dr. Leitch
Breast Cancer Surgeon
A. Marilyn Leitch, M.D., is a national authority on breast cancer. During her career, she has helped thousands of patients successfully triumph over this disease, and she has been at the forefront of research that has led to groundbreaking advancements and new standards of care for breast cancer.
"We are constantly taking steps to give our patients the best outcomes for survival with the least long-term effects from treatment."
Part of her work has led to reducing the long-term side effects of breast cancer surgery. Specifically, Dr. Leitch recently co-authored a practice-changing study regarding lymph node removal during surgery. This has led to less invasive partial node removal, which benefits patients who are planning breast-conserving surgery combined with radiation. Removing just part of the lymph nodes achieves effective outcomes, while allowing for shorter recovery times. It also minimizes the potential of arm swelling (called lymphedema) and reduces the risk of tingling or numbness in the upper arm and other side effects.
Her focus is solely on achieving the best possible outcomes for patients. Whether it’s providing access to the latest advancements in breast cancer treatment or the latest clinical trials, Dr. Leitch’s patients can count on her commitment to outstanding care and a personalized approach to fighting their disease.
Education & Training
Professional Associations & Affiliations
- Society of Surgical Oncology
- Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
- Association of Women Surgeons
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Society of Breast Surgeons
Honors & Awards
- D Magazine Best Doctor, 2009-2013, 2015-2018, 2021-2022
- Castle Connolly Top Doctors in America 2008
- D Magazine, The Best Doctors in Dallas 2006
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee Service Award in Recognition of Distinguished Service on the General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel, 2003 - 2006 2006
- Castle Connolly Top Cancer Doctors in America 2006
- Top MD's in Dallas, Castle Connolly America's Top Doctors for Cancer 2005
- 2004 Macy's Heart and Soul Award, Dallas Metro Chapter of the American Cancer Society 2004, Volunteer service award
- American Cancer Society's National Volunteer Leadership Award 2003, Awarded for service on National Board of Directors
- St. George Medal 2001, American Cancer Society National Divisional Award
- S.T. Harris Family Distinguished Chair in Breast Surgery 2000
- S.T. Harris Family Chair in Breast Surgery 1999
- The George & Carol Poston Professorship in Breast Cancer Research 1997
- State of Texas Governor’s Certificate of Volunteer Service 1993
Books & Publications
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Publications
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Axillary dissection vs no axillary dissection in women with invasive breast cancer and sentinel node metastasis: a randomized clinical trial.
Giuliano AE, Hunt KK, Ballman KV, Beitsch PD, Whitworth PW, Blumencranz PW, Leitch AM, Saha S, McCall LM, Morrow M JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association 2011 Feb 305 6 569-75 -
What's New in Surgical Oncology.
Leitch, A.M. Journal of American College of Surgeons 2001 Volume 192 624-639 -
What's new in surgical oncology.
Leitch AM Journal of the American College of Surgeons 2001 May 192 5 624-39 -
Loss of Heterozygosity in Benign Breast Epithelium in Relation to Breast Cancer Risk.
Euhus, D.M., Cler, L., Shivapurkar, N., Milchgrub, S., Peters, G.N., Leitch, A.M., Heda, S., Gazdar, A.F. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2002 Volume 94, No. 11 858-860 -
Controversies in breast surgery.
Boughey JC, Mittendorf EA, Solin LJ, Michael Dixon J, Tuttle TM, Beitsch PD, Cody HS, Leitch AM, Newman LA Annals of surgical oncology 2010 Oct 17 Suppl 3 230-2 -
Nature of antigens and antibodies in immune complexes isolated by staphylococcal protein A from plasma of melanoma patients.
Gupta RK, Leitch AM, Morton DL Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII 1983 16 1 40-7 -
Detection of tumour associated antigen in eluates from protein A columns used for ex vivo immunoadsorption of plasma from melanoma patients by radioimmunoassay.
Gupta RK, Leitch AM, Morton DL Clinical and experimental immunology 1983 Sep 53 3 589-99 -
Multimodality treatment of locally advanced breast carcinoma.
Hobar PC, Jones RC, Schouten J, Leitch AM, Hendler F Archives of surgery (Chicago, Ill. : 1960) 1988 Aug 123 8 951-5 -
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), and their receptors in human breast cells and tissues: alternative receptors.
Wilson SE, Weng J, Chwang EL, Gollahon L, Leitch AM, Shay JW Cellular & molecular biology research 1994 40 4 337-50 -
Controversies in breast cancer screening.
Leitch AM Cancer 1995 Nov 76 10 Suppl 2064-9 -
American Cancer Society guidelines for the early detection of breast cancer: update 1997.
Leitch AM, Dodd GD, Costanza M, Linver M, Pressman P, McGinnis L, Smith RA CA: a cancer journal for clinicians 1997 May-Jun 47 3 150-3 -
Characterization of paired tumor and non-tumor cell lines established from patients with breast cancer.
Gazdar AF, Kurvari V, Virmani A, Gollahon L, Sakaguchi M, Westerfield M, Kodagoda D, Stasny V, Cunningham HT, Wistuba II, Tomlinson G, Tonk V, Ashfaq R, Leitch AM, Minna JD, Shay JW International journal of cancer. Journal international du cancer 1998 Dec 78 6 766-74 -
American Cancer Society Lymphedema Workshop. Workgroup I: Treatment of the axilla with surgery and radiation--preoperative and postoperative risk assessment.
Leitch AM, Meek AG, Smith RA, Boris M, Bourgeois P, Higgins S, Pressman PI, Stevens J, Stevens RE Cancer 1998 Dec 83 12 Suppl American 2877-9 -
Breast cancer screening: success amid conflict.
Leitch AM Surgical oncology clinics of North America 1999 Oct 8 4 657-72, vi -
Breast cancer: screening and early detection.
Leitch AM Texas medicine 2001 Feb 97 2 74-8 -
MRI vs. histologic measurement of breast cancer following chemotherapy: comparison with x-ray mammography and palpation.
Weatherall PT, Evans GF, Metzger GJ, Saborrian MH, Leitch AM Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI 2001 Jun 13 6 868-75 -
Limitations of the Gail model in the specialized breast cancer risk assessment clinic.
Euhus DM, Leitch AM, Huth JF, Peters GN The breast journal 2002 Jan-Feb 8 1 23-7 -
Loss of heterozygosity in benign breast epithelium in relation to breast cancer risk.
Euhus DM, Cler L, Shivapurkar N, Milchgrub S, Peters GN, Leitch AM, Heda S, Gazdar AF Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2002 Jun 94 11 858-60 -
Clinical relevance of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for the detection of axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer.
Sakaguchi M, Virmani A, Dudak MW, Peters GN, Leitch AM, Saboorian H, Gazdar AF, Euhus DM Annals of surgical oncology 2003 Mar 10 2 117-25 -
Patient and duct selection for nipple duct lavage.
Maddux AJ, Ashfaq R, Naftalis E, Leitch AM, Hoover S, Euhus D American journal of surgery 2004 Oct 188 4 390-4 -
Promoter hypermethylation in benign breast epithelium in relation to predicted breast cancer risk.
Lewis CM, Cler LR, Bu DW, Zöchbauer-Müller S, Milchgrub S, Naftalis EZ, Leitch AM, Minna JD, Euhus DM Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 2005 Jan 11 1 166-72 -
Patterns of participation and successful patient recruitment to American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0010, a phase II trial for patients with early-stage breast cancer.
Leitch AM, Beitsch PD, McCall LM, Posther K, Newman LA, Herndon JE, Hunt KK, Giuliano AE American journal of surgery 2005 Oct 190 4 539-42 -
Surgical complications associated with sentinel lymph node biopsy: results from a prospective international cooperative group trial.
Wilke LG, McCall LM, Posther KE, Whitworth PW, Reintgen DS, Leitch AM, Gabram SG, Lucci A, Cox CE, Hunt KK, Herndon JE, Giuliano AE Annals of surgical oncology 2006 Apr 13 4 491-500 -
Surgical complications associated with sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) plus axillary lymph node dissection compared with SLND alone in the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Trial Z0011.
Lucci A, McCall LM, Beitsch PD, Whitworth PW, Reintgen DS, Blumencranz PW, Leitch AM, Saha S, Hunt KK, Giuliano AE Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2007 Aug 25 24 3657-63 -
Atypia and DNA methylation in nipple duct lavage in relation to predicted breast cancer risk.
Euhus DM, Bu D, Ashfaq R, Xie XJ, Bian A, Leitch AM, Lewis CM Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology 2007 Sep 16 9 1812-21 -
False-positive sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer patients caused by benign glandular inclusions: report of three cases and review of the literature.
Peng Y, Ashfaq R, Ewing G, Leitch AM, Molberg KH American journal of clinical pathology 2008 Jul 130 1 21-7; quiz 146 -
Impact of immediate versus delayed axillary node dissection on surgical outcomes in breast cancer patients with positive sentinel nodes: results from American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Trials Z0010 and Z0011.
Olson JA, McCall LM, Beitsch P, Whitworth PW, Reintgen DS, Blumencranz PW, Leitch AM, Saha S, Hunt KK, Giuliano AE Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2008 Jul 26 21 3530-5 -
DNA methylation in benign breast epithelium in relation to age and breast cancer risk.
Euhus DM, Bu D, Milchgrub S, Xie XJ, Bian A, Leitch AM, Lewis CM Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology 2008 May 17 5 1051-9 -
Adherence to the National Quality Forum (NQF) breast cancer measures within cancer clinical trials: a review from ACOSOG Z0010.
Wilke LG, Ballman KV, McCall LM, Giuliano AE, Whitworth PW, Blumencranz PW, Reintgen DS, Burak WE, Leitch AM, Hunt KK Annals of surgical oncology 2010 Aug 17 8 1989-94 -
Delays in time to treatment and survival impact in breast cancer.
Brazda A, Estroff J, Euhus D, Leitch AM, Huth J, Andrews V, Moldrem A, Rao R Annals of surgical oncology 2010 Oct 17 Suppl 3 291-6 -
American College of Surgeons Oncology Group and the community surgeon.
Ota DM, Leitch AM, Unzeitig G Surgical oncology clinics of North America 2011 Jul 20 3 439-45, vii -
Aesthetic Subunit of the Breast: An Analysis of Women's Preference and Clinical Implications.
Bailey SH, Saint-Cyr M, Oni G, Maia M, Andry D, Shirvani A, Nguyen V, Wong C, Zhang S, Leitch AM, Euhus D, Rao R, Rohrich R Annals of plastic surgery 2011 May -
Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology and Histologic Findings of Granular Cell Tumor of the Breast: Review of 19 Cases with Clinical/Radiologic Correlation.
Gibbons, D., Leitch, A.M., Coscia, J., Lindberg, G., Molberg, K., Ashfaq, R., Saboorian, M.H. Breast Journal 2000 January 2000 Jan. 6 27 - 30 -
Breast cancer screening: success amid conflict.
Leitch, A.M. Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America October 1999 Volume 8, No. 4 657-72 -
American Cancer Society guidelines for the early detection of breast cancer: Update 1997
Leitch, A.M., Dodd, G.D., Constanza, M., Linver, M., Pressman, P., McGinis, L., and Smith, R.A. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 1997 Volume 47 150-53 -
CASE 4. Fibrocystic breast disease in a 16-year-old female with PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome.
Patterson AR, Leitch AM, Weatherall P, Zhou XP, Eng C, Tomlinson GE Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2006 Jan 24 3 525-7 -
Commentary
Leitch, A.M. (Guest Editor) Breast Diseases: A Year Book Quarterly 2000 Volume 12, No. 2 213 -
Screening for Breast Cancer
Leitch, A.M. Cancer of the Breast, 5th Edition, Donegan & Spratt, Saunders 2002 Chapter 15 269-286 -
Reproducibility of cytologic atypia in repeat nipple duct lavage.
Johnson-Maddux A, Ashfaq R, Cler L, Naftalis E, Leitch AM, Hoover S, Euhus DM Cancer 2005 Mar 103 6 1129-36 -
Society of Surgical Oncology: position statement on prophylactic mastectomy. Approved by the Society of Surgical Oncology Executive Council, March 2007.
Giuliano AE, Boolbol S, Degnim A, Kuerer H, Leitch AM, Morrow M Annals of surgical oncology 2007 Sep 14 9 2425-7 -
Breast cancer in a county hospital population: impact of breast screening on stage of presentation.
Leitch AM, Garvey RF Annals of surgical oncology 1994 Nov 1 6 516-20 -
American Cancer Society Lymphedema Workshop - Workgroup I Treatment of the axilla with surgery - preoperative and postoperative risk assessment.
Leitch, A.M., Meek, A.G., Smith, R.A., Boris, M. Bourgeois, P., Higgins, S., Pressman, P.I., Stevens, J., and Stevens, R.E. Cancer Supplement 1998 83/12 2877-2879 -
Sentinel lymph node biopsy, an alternative to elective axillary dissection for breast cancer.
Nwariaku, F.E., Euhus, D.M., Beitsch, P.D., Clifford E., Erdman, W., Mathews, D., Albores-Saavedra, J., Leitch, A.M. and Peters, G.N. The American Journal of Surgery 1998 176 529-531 -
Patient variables that predict atypical cytology by nipple duct lavage.
Bushnaq ZI, Ashfaq R, Leitch AM, Euhus D Cancer 2007 Apr 109 7 1247-54 -
Association of occult metastases in sentinel lymph nodes and bone marrow with survival among women with early-stage invasive breast cancer.
Giuliano AE, Hawes D, Ballman KV, Whitworth PW, Blumencranz PW, Reintgen DS, Morrow M, Leitch AM, Hunt KK, McCall LM, Abati A, Cote R JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association 2011 Jul 306 4 385-93 -
Limitations of the Gail Model in the Specialized Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Clinic.
Euhus, D.M., Leitch, A.M., Huth, J.F., Peters, G.N. The Breast Journal 2002 Volume 8 23-27 -
Validating the performance of the mammary sentinel lymph node team.
Euhus DM, Peters GN, Leitch AM, Saboorian H, Mathews D, Erdman W, Anglin B, Huth J Journal of surgical oncology 2002 Apr 79 4 209-15 -
Locoregional recurrence after sentinel lymph node dissection with or without axillary dissection in patients with sentinel lymph node metastases: the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0011 randomized trial.
Giuliano AE, McCall L, Beitsch P, Whitworth PW, Blumencranz P, Leitch AM, Saha S, Hunt KK, Morrow M, Ballman K Annals of surgery 2010 Sep 252 3 426-32; discussion 432-3
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Axillary dissection vs no axillary dissection in women with invasive breast cancer and sentinel node metastasis: a randomized clinical trial.
Research
- Melanoma
- Lymphatic Mapping
- Breast Cancer
Clinical Focus
- Surgery for Breast Cancer
- Breast Disease
- Sarcoma
- Skin Cancer
- Surgery for Skin Cancer
- Breast Cancers
- Screening for Breast Cancer
- Breast Surgery
- Breast Pathology
- Melanoma
Q&A by Dr. Leitch
Results: 1 Locations
Breast Cancer Clinic
at Cancer Care Outpatient Building 6202 Harry Hines Blvd., 4th FloorDallas, Texas 75235 (214) 645-4673 Directions to Breast Cancer Clinic Parking Info for Breast Cancer Clinic