90 Years of Discovery and Hope in B.C.: Transforming Cancer Care from 1935-2025

From a few individuals determined to do something about B.C.’s low cancer survival rates in the 1930s to the more than 80,000 people from across the province who give to cancer research and care today — since the very beginning, the BC Cancer Foundation has been driven by the collective power of community. 

 In May 1935, a group of concerned citizens met at Hotel Vancouver to discuss a “pressing medical emergency,” — the fact that British Columbia had the worst cancer outcomes in the country. From that conversation, the BC Cancer Foundation was born and three weeks later received its first donation of $50.

The Foundation’s original board featured a lineup of influential British Columbians, including Malkin, Bell-Irving, Hamber, Pattullo, Shrum, VanDusen and Woodward — names that still hold prominence today. But it was the unwavering generosity of donors that truly drove change.

Opening the Door to Life-Saving Care

A $50,000 bequest by an anonymous woman helped transform a Vancouver hospital’s intern residence into B.C.’s first cancer treatment centre in 1938. Between 1948 and 1950, diagnostic clinics opened in Victoria, Penticton, Vernon, Kelowna, Kamloops, Nelson, Trail and Cranbrook.

In 1974, the provincial government took over cancer treatment and the BC Cancer Foundation deepened its focus on fundraising to support cancer research and care in B.C.

By 1985, 21 diagnostic clinics served patients across B.C. but the first regional cancer centre outside of Vancouver didn’t open until 1995 in Surrey. Fuelled by donor support, BC Cancer centres in Kelowna (1998), Victoria (2001), Abbotsford (2008) and Prince George (2012) followed.

Going Beyond Belief 

Empowered by Beyond Belief, the most ambitious health campaign in provincial history to raise $500 million to transform cancer care in B.C., four more BC Cancer centres — in Burnaby, Nanaimo, Kamloops and a second in Surrey — are slated to open by 2030.

Since 1935, the BC Cancer Foundation has helped build a province-wide cancer control system that is a paragon of excellence worldwide. Donor support has expanded access to life-saving treatment, enabled state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge technology and a team of globally recognized experts, propelling BC Cancer — the only provincial cancer system in Canada — to the forefront of transformative cancer research and care.

Thanks to the vision of a few pioneers and the enduring generosity of the community, B.C. now boasts some of the best cancer outcomes in Canada — with more people living longer and healthier, enjoying added years with their loved ones.

Made in B.C. Breakthroughs  

Bolstered by donors, bold steps taken in B.C can now be felt around the globe.

1949 — The first cytology lab opens in B.C. to detect early-stage cancer of the uterus, becoming an international model in early detection.

1967 — BC Cancer Foundation partially funds TRIUMF, the first lab in Canada to use proton beams on tumours, and now a major hub in nuclear physics, particle physics and medical isotopes.

1999 — BC Cancer’s Dr. Marianne Sadar’s breakthrough in hormone-resistant prostate cancer was celebrated globally — a discovery made possible by a Richmond charity golf tournament.

2001 — BC Cancer’s Dr. David Huntsman led international research showing that prophylactic gastrectomy (stomach removal) may prevent gastric cancer in people with a genetic risk.

2010 — Discovered by BC Cancer’s Dr. Dianne Miller, and now utilized world-wide, opportunistic salpingectomy becomes an effective preventative measure against ovarian cancer.

2012 — BC Cancer’s flagship study in precision medicine is the first in the world to deploy whole genome analysis to inform individual treatment planning.

2017 — Researchers at BC Cancer identify seven new ovarian cancer subtypes, a discovery which is informing novel treatments including options for chemotherapy-resistant disease.

2024 — A drug that could stop the deadly spread of osteosarcoma, the most common bone cancer in children (the disease that claimed the life of Terry Fox), is discovered by BC Cancer scientists.

2025 — BC Cancer launches a new clinical trial for made-in-B.C. immunotherapy for blood cancers, paving the way for expanded treatment access.