Questions of medicine and science formed half way ‘round the world By Dr. Aly Karsan on Mar 22, 2016 My path to a career in science and medicine was convoluted, but not without direction. I grew up in east Africa on an island in the Indian Ocean. Both my maternal grandparents died at very young ages of undiagnosed conditions. While the setting was idyllic, the reason for my grandparents’ deaths, or rather the lack of a reason bothered me. This great gap in understanding—the causes of... Continue Reading BC Cancer - Vancouver, BC Cancer - Victoria, BC Oral Cancer Prevention Program, Biobanking, Brachytherapy, BrainCare BC, Breast Cancer, Bust a Move, Cancer Control Research, Chemo SmartBook, Chemotherapy, Childhood cancer, Childhood Cancer Research Program, Clinical Trials, Colorectal cancer, Concrete Hero, Deeley Research Centre, Discovery Luncheon, Drug Development, Endometrial Cancer, Esophageal Cancer, Experimental Therapeutics, Functional cancer imaging, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Genomics, Golf Classic In Memory of Sindi Ahluwalia Hawkins, Gynecologic Cancer, Head & Neck Cancer, Inspiration Gala, Jingle Mingle, Leukemia
Miruna Bala: Ensuring High Quality Data for Cancer Research By Miruna Bala on Nov 10, 2015 Hello everyone, my name is Miruna Bala and I am very happy for the opportunity to blog this month. I am the Quality Systems group leader for the Holt Lab at the Genome Sciences Centre and the immunotherapy program at the BC Cancer Agency, which means I am responsible for the design, implementation, monitoring and improvement of the Quality Management System (QMS). QMS ensures accurate,... Continue Reading BC Cancer Research Centre, Clinical Trials, Deeley Research Centre, Genomics, Gynecologic Cancer, Immunology, Ovarian Cancer, Philanthropy and Research
Ovarian Cancer Research: Three Major Milestones and a Look at the Future By Dr. Jessica McAlpine on May 28, 2015 Today, I’d like to share three major things that B.C.’s OVCARE team has contributed in the last decade: 1) TAKING STEPS TOWARD PERSONALIZED MEDICINE: A woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer today will be managed according to the SPECIFIC type of cancer she has. This may mean she can be spared toxic therapies that may not help her, or receive better therapies with higher success. (Message... Continue Reading Genomics, Gynecologic Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Philanthropy and Research
Philanthropy and Research: How Donors are Making a Difference By Dr. Jessica McAlpine on May 22, 2015 In my last two blog posts, I wrote about progress we’ve been making to improve outcomes for women facing endometrial cancer. Today, I’d like to tell you about the impact one family has had in supporting this research. After losing their mother to endometrial cancer, the Gill family wanted to make a difference. They approached the BC Cancer Foundation and talked about supporting research... Continue Reading Gynecologic Cancer, Philanthropy and Research, Ride to Conquer Cancer
Treating Endometrial Cancer in Young Women By Dr. Jessica McAlpine on May 21, 2015 We know that around 15% of endometrial cancers occur in women less than 50 years of age, and 5% in women less than 40. These women may not yet have had a family and likely have not entered menopause. Thus they may not be ready to have their uterus and ovaries removed, which is the usual surgical step when endometrial cancer is diagnosed. It is very challenging to advise these women as... Continue Reading Endometrial Cancer, Gynecologic Cancer
Endometrial Cancer: How Molecular Testing Can Improve Treatment Strategies for Women By Dr. Jessica McAlpine on May 20, 2015 Hello again and thanks for tuning in! Today I am going to share some recent work we have been doing in endometrial cancer or cancer of the ‘womb.’ This is the most common cancer in women in the developed world yet it is surprisingly understudied. More than any other cancer I treat there is profound inconsistency in how pathologists, surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists manage this... Continue Reading Endometrial Cancer, Gynecologic Cancer
Bench to Bedside: How Research Discoveries are Leading to Solutions for Gynecologic Cancers By Dr. Jessica McAlpine on May 13, 2015 A nice thing about being junior in your career is that sometimes if you work hard, think a bit, and play well with others, people can give you the benefit of the doubt in believing you might be able to achieve something. My first years at the BC Cancer Agency were like this; I came here with relatively rudimentary research experience, no protected research time in my new position per say, but... Continue Reading Biobanking, Gynecologic Cancer, Philanthropy and Research
Dr. Jessica McAlpine: My Journey to a Career in Ovarian Cancer Research By Dr. Jessica McAlpine on May 06, 2015 Thanks for the invitation to be part of this blog and to share research discoveries from the Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OVCARE). I am a local girl: I was born in Vancouver (at Vancouver General Hospital) and both my parents and both sets of grandparents have lived in Vancouver for most of their lives. I did my undergraduate... Continue Reading Biobanking, Gynecologic Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, OvCaRe
Introducing May Guest Blogger Dr. Jessica McAlpine By Douglas Nelson on May 04, 2015 Warm thanks to Dr. Dan Renouf, for blogging in April and sharing the work he and his colleagues are doing to improve the treatment and care of pancreatic cancer for patients across the province. It is my pleasure to introduce our guest blogger for May, Dr. Jessica McAlpine. Dr. McAlpine is a gynaecologic oncologist and translational researcher at the BC Cancer Agency and Director of the... Continue Reading Announcing new guest blogger, BC Cancer - Vancouver, Gynecologic Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer
The Future: Achieving new possibilities by using all the tools available to us By Dr. François Bachand on Jul 30, 2014 This is my last post for the month. I hope you have enjoyed my posts! I am currently working on a presentation for the radiation therapists and nurses in radiation oncology. The presentation will be an update on our brachytherapy programs for gynaecological cancers. We have been developing several new techniques and want to ensure everyone is up to speed. The last slide of my... Continue Reading BC Cancer - Kelowna, Brachytherapy, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Gynecologic Cancer, Prostate Cancer