Guest Speaker January 15, 2014
Our Guest Speaker today was Andrea Coogan, development officer with the BC Cancer Foundation, in charge of community and personal giving. Andrea has been four years in this job, and works with 7800 donors across the province.
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BC Cancer Foundation is the largest funder of cancer research in the province. Andrea addressed the confusion regarding the names of the various cancer agencies. The Cancer Society is based across Canada, and works on advocacy and support groups, with some research. The Cancer Foundation is concerned solely with fundraising for research. They support cancer care, research, and clinical trials in six centers across BC. The Fraser Valley center focusses on radiation and the chemo clinic. The Vancouver Island center concerns itself with research and immunotherapy. There are also centers in Abbotsford, Kelowna, and Prince George.
An appalling statistic: 1/3 of Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. BC has the lowest rate of cancer incidence, and has the best record in treating ovarian and breast cancer. Breast cancer has now been reclassified into ten kinds of cancer, leading to totally changed methods of diagnosis and treatment.
BC is also leading in international peer review publications. As a result of local research 200 forms of cancer have been identified. Also this had lead to a movement to improve patient care and treatment, and toward more personalized medicine.