BC Cancer Foundation Launches $50 Million Campaign to Advance Precision Cancer Care

Philanthropy is fuelling a future of faster, more precise and personalized cancer care for patients across British Columbia

BC Cancer Foundation has launched a $50 million fundraising campaign to bring a suite of best-in-class technologies to BC Cancer – Vancouver, transforming cancer care and elevating outcomes for patients across the province.

In the largest fundraising campaign in history for BC Cancer – Vancouver, donors are helping transform every step of a patient’s journey, from diagnosis to recovery. The suite will feature technology for enhanced imaging, diagnostics and radiation treatments – enabling care to become faster, smarter and more personalized.

Quietly launched in the spring of 2024, the campaign is already helping bring cutting-edge technology to BC Cancer, including the first-in-Canada Photon Counting CT, with a Next-Generation PET/CT scanner and Contrast Enhanced Mammography (CEM) unit soon to follow.

These tools represent the future of cancer diagnostics — offering clinicians unprecedented accuracy and speed in detecting and characterizing cancer, and the ability to tailor treatments to each patient’s unique disease.

“Our donors are equipping BC Cancer with the most powerful diagnostic, imaging, and radiation technologies in the world,” says Sarah Roth, President & CEO, BC Cancer Foundation. “Every breakthrough made possible through these investments brings renewed hope to patients and families across British Columbia.”

As the province’s referral centre for complex cases and a hub of cancer research and innovation, BC Cancer – Vancouver plays a pivotal role in shaping care for all British Columbians. Enhanced imaging and radiation technology will enable faster analysis, more precise disease mapping and treatment delivery, and seamless integration with research — supporting more personalized and effective patient care.

“These technologies give us insights we’ve only dreamed of,” says Dr. François Bénard, BC Cancer’s Senior Executive Director of Research and an international leader in molecular imaging. “They allow us to see cancer in remarkable detail, monitor how it’s responding to treatment and adapt care in real time. This is a powerful leap forward in precision oncology and it’s only possible because of the generosity of donors.”

“New precision technologies are allowing us to deliver more targeted radiation in fewer treatments, with fewer side effects,” says Dr. Paris-Ann Ingledew, Interim Executive Vice-President and Chief Medical Officer, BC Cancer. “This means better outcomes and quality of life for patients, made possible by donor support.”

This is more than an investment in technology — it’s a provincial commitment to innovation, collaboration and excellence in cancer care. BC Cancer Foundation is calling on British Columbians to help drive this momentum forward.