BC Cancer Foundation - Winter 2015 - (Page 12)

D A Picture with Life-Saving Properties New molecules will add precision to cancer diagnosis 12 PARTNERS IN DISCOVERY etailed pictures from inside a patient are crucial in today's cancer care. These pictures, captured through high-tech imaging techniques, help oncologists in their precise treatment planning. Over the past decade, in step with many areas of cancer research and care, imaging has undergone rapid advancement. For most who have been through a cancer diagnosis recently, PET/CT would sound as routine as blood work. Yet, this critical tool is just over 10 years old. In 2005, the BC Cancer Agency installed its first PET/CT scanner, and it formed the hub of the BC Cancer Agency's Functional Cancer Imaging (FCI) research program, which aims to improve cancer diagnosis and staging (has the cancer spread beyond the site of origin?), and in turn allow for more precise treatment planning. At the helm of the research program is Dr. François Bénard. He specializes in nuclear medicine-the recipe base for new radiotracers, the compounds designed to seek out cancer cells within the body-making a patient's cancer glow on a PET scan. "Our team is developing molecules that will be injected into patients and hone in on cancer cells so we can detect them," says Dr. Bénard, adding that the job is a little bit like Where's Waldo? as the tracers have to recognize the subtle differences between cancerous and healthy cells. SPECIALIZED TRACERS SEEK OUT SPECIFIC CANCERS Right now, a number of new tracers are in development and getting close to patient trials. The molecules are not only designed to find cancer cells in the body but are also geared to seek out special aspects of the cancer.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BC Cancer Foundation - Winter 2015

BC Cancer Foundation - Winter 2015
Opening Thoughts
Healthy Insights
Why I Give
Researcher Profile
A Monumental Leap in Cancer Treatment
Solving the Mystery of Treatment Failure
A Picture with Life- Saving Properties
Legacy Giving

BC Cancer Foundation - Winter 2015