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The BC Cancer
Foundation Story

90 Years of Discovery and Hope in B.C.

90 years in 90 seconds

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1935

COMMUNITY
ORIGINS

In May 1935, the BC Cancer Foundation was founded to provide cancer care and treatment throughout the province to “meet a pressing medical emergency”. We received our first donation of $50 from a community group of women.

The launch of the new BC Cancer Foundation was announced at a luncheon at the Hotel Vancouver.

PLACES FOR PATIENTS

1938

B.C.’s first cancer treatment centre opens in Vancouver and treats 288 patients in their first year. Today, BC Cancer provides treatment for over 80,000 British Columbians each year.

1945

CRITICAL EQUIPMENT

First X-ray therapy machine treats 466 patients in one year. Today BC Cancer delivers over 170,000 radiation treatments in a year.

The new 6-DoF couch is revolutionizing how we deliver radiation therapy. By allowing us to position patients with pinpoint precision, we can enhance treatment accuracy, reduce side effects and lead advanced research initiatives. This is a significant leap forward for cancer care in the North.

— Nick Cheng
Medical Physics Leader at BC Cancer Prince George

1955

LIFE-SAVING
SCREENING

The creation of the world's first free cervical screening program leads to a 70% decline in incidence and mortality of cervical cancer. The program remains a global model for cancer control.

Today, BC Cancer has launched cervical self-screening kits to remove screening barriers with the goal of eliminating the disease in the next 10 years.

70%

— Dr. Lily Proctor
Medical Director of BC’s Cervical Cancer Screening program led by BC Cancer

B.C. is leading the way. We're one of only several jurisdictions worldwide and the first in Canada to offer people the choice of how they want to be screened... by making testing more accessible, equitable and comfortable, we are already showing that we can increase coverage in people who have never been screened or who are under screened by up to 20%.

— Dr. Lily Proctor
Medical Director of BC’s Cervical Cancer Screening program led by BC Cancer

1977

THE HOME OF RESEARCH

BC Cancer Foundation provides $2.3M towards the creation of BC's first cancer research centre in a converted McGavin's bakery on West 10th Avenue.

Photo: The Biophysics Department in front of the first research centre, 1976.

Since then, BC Cancer has established research facilities at all centres across the province, including the Deeley Research Centre (DRC) in Victoria, which was 100% funded by donors like Trev Deeley.

The DRC is a world-renowned hub for immunotherapy advancements and the team collaborates with BC Cancer's clinical immunotherapy researchers to bring cutting-edge treatments from lab bench to patient.

In their first clinical trial of their CAR-T cell therapy treatment - co-led by The Ottawa Hospital - 43% of leukemia and lymphoma patients achieved complete regression, remarkable given that they had exhausted all other treatment options.

Donor support has been critical in advancing immunotherapy research and bringing hope to patients who do not respond to existing treatments.

— Dr. Brad Nelson
Director of BC Cancer’s Deeley Research Centre

1995

BC-WIDE ACCESS

BC Cancer Agency opens its first regional centre outside Vancouver in Surrey and treats 1700 patients in its first year. BC Cancer centres in Kelowna (1998), Victoria (2001), Abbotsford (2008) and Prince George (2012) followed, with over 4000 world-class staff, specialists and researchers.

2005

A GLOBAL
RESEARCH
LEADER

When approached by BC Cancer to purchase a property to build a new Vancouver research centre, Gordon Diamond said, 'No'. Instead of selling the $2-million plot, he donated it. It was a tremendous first step to building the $96 million BC Cancer Research Centre which opened in 2005.

My grandmother unfortunately died of breast cancer. Had she known she had a BRCA gene mutation and been screened properly, the cancer could have been caught earlier, and we would have enjoyed many more years with her.

- Jill Diamond

In 2023, the Diamonds donated another $7.2 million to the BC Cancer Foundation to break down screening barriers and provide support for families at high risk for hereditary cancer.

In 2025, the gift culminated in the opening of the Diamond Foundation Hereditary Cancer Centre, giving hereditary cancer patients access to care in one convenient location.

SIGNATURE
EVENTS

Since 2008, our signature fundraising events have brought together communities across B.C.

2008

A handful of riders made the 12-km climb up Cypress Mountain to raise funds for pancreatic cancer research. Seventeen years later, in 2004, more than 600 cyclists pushed the Capilano Volkswagen Cypress Challenge, presented by Glotman•Simpson Cycling, fundraising total to over $5 million.

$5M

Incredible innovations have been possible because of these signature events, such as BC Cancer's groundbreaking PEGASUS clinical trial in 2024. The trial began exploring how glucose management can impact responses to pancreatic cancer treatment and patient outcomes and brings significant promise for patients facing pancreatic cancer.

2017

Since 2017, almost 13,000 participants have moved every day in May in the month-long Workout to Conquer Cancer challenge (for a total of 11 million minutes!) raising $5.4 million through 2024.

$5.4M

2004

After 16 memorable years of riding together — raising more than $131 million — the Tour de Cure's final ride took place in the Fraser Valley and came to life with 1,674 cyclists, 155 teams and 230 volunteers.

$131M

2010

HISTORIC MOMENTUM

Remarkable progress across many cancer types change how cancer is treated and prevented:

2010

BC becomes the first place in the world to discover and recommend a preventative surgery for ovarian cancer.

2012

BC Cancer reclassifies breast cancer into 10 completely new categories based on the genetic fingerprint of a tumour.

2013

Pancreas Centre BC, a unique partnership between BC Cancer, Vancouver Coastal Health and UBC is born with $3.5 million in funding from the BC Cancer Foundation.

2019

A world-first study co-led by BC Cancer researchers finds that the use of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) technology may improve survival rates for patients with limited metastatic cancer. A trial is now launching that may have curative outcomes for patients with metastatic cancer with just one treatment dose.

It's incredible that someone diagnosed with breast cancer today, or tomorrow, may not have to go through what I did.

— Meghan Kreuger
Breast Cancer Survivor

Today+
Tomorrow

BECAUSE OF
DONORS...

Cancer screening programs, diagnostics and treatments will continue to revolutionize thanks to the world-class cancer expertise and infrastructure here in B.C.

BC Cancer Foundation has more than 82,000 donors and received over 279,000 individual donations in 2024.

in 2024

82,000donors

279,000donations

Integrated research will continue to improve and extend the lives of people with cancer.

Cancer diagnoses will increase, but so will cancer remission and survival rates.

Because of our donors, 4 more BC Cancer regional centres will open in Burnaby, Nanaimo, Kamloops and a second in Surrey by 2030.

by 2030

Burnaby Nanaimo Kamloops Surrey

Our donors’ generosity is making dreams come true for the tens of thousands of people with cancer in BC. I’m so excited about the future when I witness what’s being achieved every day and when I see how BC Cancer Foundation’s awe-inspiring donor community are continuously stepping up and making anything possible

— Sarah Roth
President & CEO, BC Cancer Foundation

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EVERY
BREAKTHROUGH
BEGINS WITH YOU

Your support has turned bold
ideas into life-saving realities.

— Sarah Roth, President & CEO, BC Cancer Foundation

Why I give

Every day, this is how donors impact the lives of those with cancer in B.C.