BC Cancer Blog

British Columbia’s northern region is vast at over 600,000 km 2 (approximately the size of France) and home to nearly 300,000 people, half of whom are now expected to face cancer in their lifetime. This means that there is an urgent need to develop newer and more effective methods to deliver and monitor treatment. Over the last five years my research team has lead two emerging research fields within radiation oncology to help address just that. They are known as patient reported outcomes (PROs) and precision radiotherapy for metastatic disease. A PRO is a health outcome directly reported by a...

Hello, My name is Dr. Rob Olson. I am a radiation oncologist at the BC Cancer – Prince George, the primary centre of care for those with cancer across BC’s northern region, north of Kelowna. Dr. Robert Olson, radiation oncologist at BC Cancer - Prince George. It has been five years since my last blog and quite a number of breakthroughs have taken place in the field of radiation therapy since. The realm of cancer care for families in British Columbia’s north has undergone significant changes too. I’m very much looking forward to discussing these with you over the next few weeks, to highlight...

Thank you to Dr. Bernie Eigl for sharing the impact of clinical trials on families in our province, and to the many patients who bravely shared their stories in support of this critical work. I am pleased to welcome to our blog Dr. Rob Olson, radiation oncologist at the BC Cancer - Prince George (Centre for the North). Dr. Olson will discuss how radiation oncology is rapidly evolving at the centre and how families across the region are benefitting from this world-class care. Thanks for reading, Sarah

Clinical trials are essential in our quest to deliver better treatment to patients here in BC. One such patient, Jacqueline Patrick, was diagnosed with breast cancer a number of years ago, but now is thriving. Like Ken and Danny, Jacquie, who is based in Chilliwack, BC, has agreed to share her story to shed light on the impact of trials on those facing cancer in our province. She writes: My back really hurt. It had been bothering me for some time, but I could no longer ignore it. On November 12, 2013, I hobbled off to follow my doctor’s instructions to get an X-ray done. I believe that I was...

Patients are the heart of what we do. Every day as we get closer to developing newer and more effective methods for cancer prevention and treatment, these patients are top of mind. Last week, Danny shared his heartfelt story on the care that he received and how the clinical trial he took part in saved his life. His story underscores the life-saving nature of our work, and the importance of BC Cancer Foundation donors in giving patients new hope. Ken Sheh is another patient of mine. Initially, he was given a year to live, but now he’s cancer-free and back to his regular routine, thanks to a...

The main reason I’m passionate about clinical trials is because they're the only way we can move medicine forward and achieve the kind of progress that will improve the lives of those touched by cancer. This progress always starts with one patient at a time. Danny is one of my patients who chose to participate in a clinical trial, and he agreed to share some of his story with us. He came to us with Stage 4 bladder cancer and since enrolling in a clinical trial, his cancer has shown a complete response. Danny is a true testament to how BC Cancer Foundation donors are continuing to fuel...

There are a lot of exciting developments happening right now in the realm of clinical research at BC Cancer. New discoveries are being put to the test with the potential to save more lives and reduce the burden of treatment on patients. We're one of the very few places in the world capable of conducting this kind of transformative research. One such trial is making waves for its potential to better detect cancer using a simple blood test. For cancers such as lymphoid, sometimes the only way to prevent the disease from spreading is surgery, removing all lymph nodes that have the potential to...

Hello, it’s Dr. Bernie Eigl. For those who don’t know me, I’m the provincial director of clinical trials at BC Cancer. In my role, I oversee the strategic direction and operations support of clinical trials at BC Cancer’s six centres. I’m also a researcher and oncologist, with a special focus in bladder cancer. Dr. Bernie Eigl, medical oncologist and provincial director of clinical trials at BC Cancer. I’m excited to return as guest blogger for March. A lot has been accomplished over the past year in the realm of clinical research. It’s a continually evolving field, where discoveries are made...

Thank you to Dr. Marra for his riveting entries this past month. It is thrilling to hear about the global impact of Personalized Onco-Genomics and how our donors continue to fuel advancements in this field. I am pleased to welcome back to our blog Dr. Bernie Eigl, provincial director of systemic clinical trials at BC Cancer, for the month of March. Dr. Eigl will share how our donors are helping to expand clinical research at BC Cancer, and provide detail on a few exciting trials underway for bladder cancers. Thanks for reading, Sarah

Personalized Onco-Genomics needs to grow if we’re to fully address the cancer problem here in British Columbia. Right now we have around 26,000 new cancer diagnoses in the province, and that figure is expected to increase as our populations continue to grow and age. Approximately 10,000 of those new cases will present themselves as metastatic disease, and that is a very big clinical problem. It’s also one that we don’t know a great deal about. There is much to learn. Most of the information we’ve been able to generate about metastatic disease comes from primary tumours, restricted to a single...