Hope

75 years of research have resulted in a phenomenal amount of information being studied and used to help researchers prevent, diagnose and treat the disease. Technological developments have sped up the rate at which data can be analyzed to identify the best treatment for each specific case. For the first time, it is possible to believe that, in the relatively near future, most cancers will be treatable and will have vastly improved survival rates.

When it comes to outsmarting cancer, the combination of research and state of the art technologies will accomplish more over the next ten years than over the past 75 years combined.
1946
2018
25%

  • UNIQUE AND
    INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS

    Drug repurposing is an approach that has proven itself in numerous therapeutic fields. The strategy focuses on identifying new uses and applications for existing medications based on original research. The Cancer Research Society’s drug repurposing program, UpCycle, is the only one of its kind in Canada. Dr. Noël Raynal, at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, was among the first to receive a grant from UpCycle in 2018. His work, recently published in an international scientific journal, demonstrates for the first time that a medication generally used to treat heart disease has the potential to treat aggressive forms of leukemia.

    Learn more about Noël Raynal

  • Dr. Jim Petrik, University of Guelph

    OVARIAN CANCER

    Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. It is often asymptomatic and detected too late. Research led by Dr. Jim Petrik, at the University of Guelph, has demonstrated that improving blood circulation in the areas surrounding a tumour opens up new treatment possibilities. Once blood circulation has improved, the team introduces an oncolytic virus that attacks the cancerous cells while strengthening the immune system. In combination with traditional chemotherapy treatment, this research has yielded spectacular results, regressing advanced tumours and stopping the spread of metastases.

  • Nicole Beauchemin, McGill University

    COLORECTAL CANCER

    Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in Canada and presents a survival rate of only 64%. Often detected too late, colorectal cancer kills nearly 10,000 Canadians every year. One of the major risk factors for colorectal cancer is heredity. Among the researchers funded by the Society, Nicole Beauchemin at McGill University has identified a gene signature for colorectal cancer. The gene signature makes it possible to identify people likely to develop the disease even before it sets in. The monitoring of these high-risk individuals then makes it possible to remove precancerous lesions before cancer develops.

  • Dr. Kristan Aronson, Queen’s Cancer Institute

    BREAST CANCER

    The Cancer Research Society funds numerous researchers to help prevent, detect and treat breast cancer, which is still very common. Among them, Dr. Kristan Aronson at the Queen’s Cancer Institute is studying the complex relationship between working night shifts, melatonin and the genes that regulate the body’s clock. A better understanding of these factors could make it possible to reduce the risk for women working in these conditions.

  • LUNG CANCER

    Lung cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Canada, with approximately 28,000 new cases each year. It is the leading cause of cancer deaths for both men and women, with an estimated survival rate of 17%. Beyond current treatments, recent research is increasingly focusing on precision medicine in immunology. It is a real ray of hope for the future.

  • LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY
    IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

    As more cutting-edge technologies become available, researchers have an increasing number of tools available to them, offering new ways to deal with the disease while limiting the side effects of treatments.

  • Research in collaboration with:
    Polytechnique Montréal, École de technologie supérieure, CRCHUM,
    MEDTEQ, Elekta and the TransMedTech Institute

    ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

    The Cancer Research Society has teamed up with other organizations to create strategic partnerships that have high impact potential. These initiatives make it possible to pool resources and expertise to shed light on the yet unknown aspects of the disease. The Society and its collaborators support, among other things, the development of an innovative approach to radiotherapy using artificial intelligence, making it possible to target the treatment of liver cancer tumours better and, as a result, protect the surrounding organs.

  • Research in collaboration with:
    BioCanRx, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

    THERAPEUTIC VACCINES

    This partnership focuses on the development of a personalized vaccine for cases of acute leukemia. The vaccine works on two fronts: on the one hand, it attacks the patient’s cancer cells, and on the other, it stimulates the patient’s immune system.

  • IN THE WORKS: AN ULTRA-POWERFUL SCANNER
    TO BETTER DETECT BRAIN CANCER

    With the support of numerous partners, this project focuses on the development of an ultra-powerful scanner for the early detection of brain tumours, a decisive factor for better prognoses.

  • WE'RE GETTING CLOSE,
    BUT ACHIEVING OUR GOAL
    REQUIRES REDOUBLING OUR EFFORTS
    IN SUPPORT OF RESEARCH.
    WE'LL ALL GAIN FROM IT
    IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.

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