TORONTO, ON -
The Canadian Cancer Society is proud to announce its collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to launch the SU2C Canada Metastatic Breast Cancer Dream Team today.
The SU2C Canada Metastatic Breast Cancer Dream Team will receive up to $6 million in funding over 4 years to conduct a nationwide clinical trial to test a new way of treating metastatic breast cancer. Their work aims to stop cancer cells from becoming aggressive and spreading to other organs. The Team is led by Dr Nahum Sonenberg of McGill University and Dr Michael Pollak of Lady Davis Institute and brings together a team of top cancer researchers from Edmonton, Kingston, Montreal, Vancouver and Victoria.
Metastatic, or stage IV, breast cancer is breast cancer that has spread to other sites in the body. Less than 5% of breast cancers are diagnosed at stage IV but 20-30% of women who are initially diagnosed with earlier stage breast cancer will go on to develop metastatic breast cancer. The work of the SU2C Canada Metastatic Breast Cancer Dream Team could lead to a new approach to target this hard-to-treat disease.
“The majority of deaths related to breast cancer are caused by cancer that has spread and there is an urgent need for innovative new treatments to target this disease,” said Jennifer Wilson, director, research operations at CCS. “That’s why we are thrilled to collaborate with SU2C Canada and CIHR to support this game-changing project to help people with metastatic breast cancer live longer and have a better quality of life. As the largest national charitable funder of cancer research, we are committed to funding research that will help create a world where no Canadian fears cancer.”
This is the second time that CCS has worked with SU2C Canada to support a Dream Team. CCS also collaborated with SU2C Canada to fund the SU2C Canada-CCS Breast Cancer Dream Team in 2016. This team is working to expand treatment options for women with aggressive forms of breast cancer by accelerating the development of 3 new drugs, all of which are now being tested in clinical trials.
Thanks to our donors, CCS is able to fund much needed research on ways to prevent and treat metastatic breast cancer and provide support to those with the disease so that they can live life more fully.
The Canadian Cancer Society is a national community-based organization whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer. When you want to know more about cancer, visit our website cancer.ca or call our toll-free, bilingual Cancer Information Service at 1 888 939-3333.