Sunnybrook breast cancer researchers get $1M boost

Breast cancer researchers at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre have received $1 million from the Breast Canada Society of Canada for their work on so-called “microbubbles.”

The treatment would be used to fight locally advanced tumours, one of the most deadly forms of breast cancer.

The money means trials with patients could begin in the next five years, the lead researcher said.  

“The funding from the Breast Cancer Society of Canada is going to allow us to scale up these treatments and move them out of the laboratory and into breast cancer patients in the next three to five years,” radiation oncologist Dr. Greg Czarnota said in a statement.

“This is definitely a world first happening at Sunnybrook.”

The treatment works by straining the blood vessels inside the tumour. Scientists found that the microbubbles begin to bounce and expand when heated with focused ultrasound, causing the cancer cells to become leaky and weak.

Patients with locally advanced tumours have an extremely high mortality rate, usually within two years of diagnosis.  The tumours are typically found in women between ages 35 and 45.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today