Vancouver, BC – The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - BC/Yukon Region is proud to award $573,293 in Medical Research Grants to four of the province’s brightest minds in breast cancer research.

The Foundation began awarding grants in 1993 and since then has committed more than $15 million to BC-based researchers and scientists.  “Breast cancer outcomes in our province are the best in Canada, thanks in huge part to a growing community of world class scientists here in BC who are investigating better ways to prevent, detect and treat breast cancer,” says Elaine Webb, Director, Health Promotion and Planning. “This year, we are very proud to support four highly-accomplished medical researchers working on a variety of projects from assessing breast cancer outcomes in BC’s northern communities, to personalized medicine, to finding better ways of doing breast reconstruction surgery for patients who have undergone a mastectomy.”

The four 2011-2012 Medical Research Grant recipients are as follows:

Breast Cancer in British Columbia's Northern Communities: the Cancer Care Spectrum   
Dr. Nadine Caron, UNBC, Prince George       
$142,800  (over 2 years)    

The objective of this study is to identify uses of breast surgery options, radiation therapy, and drug therapy for breast cancer patients in BC’s Northern Health Authority (NHA) compared to the non-NHA, using a new “Northern Breast Cancer Database.” The results of the study will improve understanding of access to quality cancer care in the NHA compared to the rest of BC and will help us gain insight into how to optimize access to cancer care for those diagnosed in rural, northern and remote regions.

Clinical Testing for Basal-like Breast Cancers   
Dr. Blake Gilks, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver       
$165,261  (over 2 years)    

This project will develop and deploy high-quality testing for basal-like breast cancer, an aggressive subtype in need of a practical method of identification to allow best patient care and to aid development of new therapies.

Concordance and Clinical Utility Study of PAM50 in Comparison to Immunhistochemical (IHC) Assessment of Estrogen Receptor Negative and Low to Moderate Positive Stage I-III Breast Cancer   
Dr. Stephen Chia, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver       
$127,698  (over 2 years)    

The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility, concordance and ultimately the clinical use of the PAM50 test, a newer and more improved method of categorizing breast cancers.

The Use of Botulinum Toxin-A in Two-stage Tissue Expander/Implant Reconstruction   
Dr. Adelyn Ho, UBC, Vancouver       
$137,534  (2 years)    

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of Botox in patients undergoing an immediate two-stage reconstruction with a tissue expander and implant. The research team expects that the patients receiving Botox will have a faster and more comfortable expansion process, greater satisfaction with their breast reconstruction, and an increase in their quality of life.

The BC/Yukon Region of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) was established in 1992 to make a difference in breast cancer and breast health for BC women. Every year, the Foundation, along with its donors, sponsors and partners, raises funds to support unique and innovative initiatives across the areas of prevention, early detection, treatment, research and emerging issues in the health care workforce. The BC/Yukon Region is committed to realizing a future without the fear of breast cancer by 2020, when breast cancer is a very manageable and treatable disease.

-30-

Media Contact:
Sydney Nusbaum
Coordinator, Marketing & Communications
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - BC/Yukon Region
604-683-2873 ext 237
snusbaum@cbcf.org