The alliance celebrated its 10th anniversary Saturday by filling the Presidential Ballroom at the Westin Hotelwith about 200 participants for its annual seminar and luncheon. The group has come a long way, yet the day was about the same principles that have guided it all along: education, inspiration and celebration of breast-cancer survivorship.

Dr. Marisa Weiss, a Philadelphia physician who has written the book Living Beyond Breast Cancer and founded breastcancer.org, gave a keynote address about the patient-doctor relationship.

Weiss walked to the podium in a white doctor's coat before removing it to reveal a green hospital gown underneath. She has been both a doctor specializing in breast cancer, and a breast-cancer patient.

"When would you choose to wear something like this in a discussion about your future?" Weiss asked, to laughter and applause.

Weiss said the doctor-patient relationship is crucial. Yet it is often a lopsided deal:

"It's the doctor's turf; it's the doctor's language; it's your health, not his; he's wearing a white coat and you're wearing something like this," Weiss said.

Weiss said good communication with a doctor is important. Patients also need to take an active role, she said, by being honest, keeping an open mind and listening.

E-mail dklepal@enquirer.com