The donation is the second largest made to cancer in B.C.’s history and will fuel a world-leading Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics program at BC Cancer spanning research and development of cutting-edge radiopharmaceuticals through to clinical trials.
Over the next five years, the program will expand infrastructure, scale-up scientific development of radioactive isotope treatments and launch a series of clinical trials.
The first treatment trials will focus on RLT for men with incurable, metastatic prostate cancer. Results from the early research hold tremendous promise for the treatment of other common cancers, including metastatic melanoma, breast, ovarian, pancreatic and blood cancers. The targeted RLT compounds are developed at BC Cancer and in partnership with TRIUMF.
Different from chemotherapy, RLT is only delivered to the cancer cells packing a much bigger punch in a highly concentrated dose. Evidence for the effectiveness of RLT shows a clear benefit for prostate and thyroid cancer, neuroendocrine and liver tumours, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, bone metastases and other diseases. RLT is a cutting-edge form of cancer treatment that will add a much-needed new option to the ranks of chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy.
