Breast Cancer

As I touched on last week, the importance of the BC Cancer Foundation and its donors cannot be overstated when it comes to fuelling new and more effective treatments for breast cancer. In large part because of this, I expect to see a significant shift in the way we diagnose, treat and manage patients facing this disease in British Columbia.

Over the next ten years, I hope to see us...

One of the most exciting areas of breast cancer research is the study of genomics. Genomics is about understanding the genetic makeup of different cancers, in turn enabling us to develop targeted treatments for them. Through this kind of research, we can dive deep in terms of what is driving a patient’s cancer, how it will behave and how it might respond to certain treatments. 

Genomic...

Hello, my name is Dr. Stephen Chia and I am a medical oncologist here at BC Cancer, as well as the chair of the Provincial Breast Tumour Group. I’m excited to return to the blog this month for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s an important time of year to not only bring attention to the prevalence of breast cancer, but also to recognize the number of advancements that have been made to treat...

The sequencers at the GSC were rapidly gaining improvements in read length and throughput. I spent my time working with the more interesting (and complex) types of data that could be generated, beginning with “transcriptomes” and then “exomes”.

Despite knowing I wanted to do a PhD, I had not yet been convinced of a project that I would want to spend the next three to five years on and...

My name is Intan Schrader and I am co-medical director of the Hereditary Cancer Program with Sophie Sun. I am a medical geneticist, specializing in cancer genetics.  

It was during medical school that I took a serious interest in cancer genetics. After receiving my medical degree from the University of Melbourne, I completed my residency in Medical Genetics at the University of...

I am a medical oncologist and co-medical director of the Hereditary Cancer Program, with Intan Schrader.

I grew up in Toronto, and first became interested in science in grade six.  For my science project that year, I bought samples of acne cream and asked some older (pimply) kids to use and rate the effectiveness of the creams. In retrospect, this was my first randomized phase 2...

In my previous post I mentioned the BC Cancer Agency’s OVCARE team and the great work they’ve done to position themselves as one of the world’s leading ovarian cancer research teams. They’re not only conquering cancer in the lab, but they’re also doing it on two wheels.

With its many supporters, OVCARE has participated every year in The Ride to Conquer Cancer, and is one of the top...

Last week I introduced some exciting, innovative work we are doing at the BC Cancer Agency – Southern Interior on permanent breast seed implant treatments for breast cancer. Today, I’d like to talk a bit about the vital importance of young physics trainees in pushing forward new treatments.

Engaging bright, young physics trainees is, for me, one of the true joys of my work. I do this...

Yesterday, I shared how an innovative treatment for breast cancer is being offered in Kelowna, which has the promise to be implemented more widely and benefit more women.

Since the beginning of our Permanent Breast Seed Implants program, we have had exactly this goal in mind: to innovate and evolve the technique to enable widespread clinical implementation. We aim specifically to...

Hello again. The timing of this post has landed in the midst of a very exciting week for me, as I am currently attending a Medical Physics Leadership Academy, near Washington DC. Medical physicists from across the U.S. and Canada have gathered here to learn about effective leadership and discuss what it means to be a leader in medical physics. It has been an extremely interesting and...