ONE BILLIONREASONS TOBELIEVE.

We want to share with you how the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre,
thanks to our dedicated donors, is advancing Personalized Cancer Medicine.

Be part of The Princess Margaret Billion Dollar Challenge today!

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What is
THE BILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE?

The BILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE is a 5-year initiative to secure $1 Billion to revolutionize cancer care by creating a new gold standard:

Personalized Cancer Medicine.

Every patient is unique. Every patient's cancer is different. So it follows that individualized treatment will get the best results.

Changing the paradigm of cancer medicine requires a major investment. The BILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE is the largest single fundraising campaign in the history of Canadian healthcare!

Our scientists and physicians have an excellent track record of leveraging the financial support they receive. So to meet this challenge, we're reaching out to our donor community with a goal of $500 million, which our researchers hope to match with $500 million in grants.

WE WILL CONQUER
CANCER IN OUR LIFETIME.

The Billion Dollar Challenge will enable
The Princess Margaret to:

  • Attract, retain and train world-class researchers, physicians and other staff in new and promising areas including:

    • Epigenetics

    • Genetic Sequencing

    • Immune Therapy

    • Molecular Imaging

    • Nanotechnology

  • Expand and retrofit workspaces for maximum efficiency.

  • Secure the equipment and technology that will allow us to continue improving the lives of all cancer patients.

The donations you give to The Princess Margaret over the next 5 years will make Personalized Cancer Medicine a reality. Believe it.

Share our Vision.

Watch as our experts talk about our vision for Personalized Cancer Medicine and how it will change cancer care forever.

What is
PERSONALIZED CANCER MEDICINE?

Background

Over the past 50 years, our scientists and physicians have learned just how complex cancer is.

Every patient, and every patient's cancer, is unique. So treating two people with the same type of cancer in the same way will not always yield the best results. Cancer is ultimately a disease of the genes, and new technology and insight now allow us to conduct genetic analysis of tumours, which is often the only way to confirm the specifics of the disease. Knowing these specifics is crucial to a patient receiving the most customized and best treatment.

Finding the
RIGHT TREATMENT
for the
RIGHT PATIENT
at the
RIGHT TIME

Cancer is not just one disease, so we cannot treat everyone the same way. Each person's cancer and response to treatment is unique. That's why we are committed to a future of individualized treatments.

The Princess Margaret is laying the foundation for Personalized Cancer Medicine for patients across Canada and around the world. Our definition is broad and encompasses four main areas:

Detect: Detecting cancers early leads to better outcomes. We are working on new molecular imaging technology that can see tiny cancers, and discovering new biomarkers – indicators of cancer that can be detected through blood and serum tests.

Diagnose: Analyzing cancers more precisely will lead to a better understanding of each patient's disease and more customized and effective treatment.

Target: Targeted surgery, radiation and drug treatments will focus on the cancer and leave healthy tissue intact. New treatments such as immune therapy will also add to better survival rates.

Support: By providing programs and strategies to help patients and their families live with cancer and with the side effects (both physical and emotional) of cancer treatment, we will reduce stress and improve the patient experience.

WHY YOU CAN "BELIEVE IT."

We believe there are 7 key reasons why The Princess Margaret will Conquer Cancer In Our Lifetime through Personalized Cancer Medicine. They are:

1

7

WE'RE A WORLD LEADER

The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is one of the world's Top 5 cancer research centres with an outstanding reputation for leading patient care, breakthrough research and high-quality teaching.

Located in Toronto, The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is the only facility in Canada devoted exclusively to cancer research, treatment and education.

OUR WORK HAS GLOBAL REACH

A recent survey of the world’s top cancer centres showed that The Princess Margaret ranked third in the number of instances our researchers were cited in high-impact medical and science journals.

WE PUT PATIENTS FIRST

Our 'patient benefit' mindset links scientific research with patient care. Our doctors and researchers collaborate and share knowledge, all in an effort to benefit patients.

OUR RESEARCHERS ARE CUTTING EDGE

We have a rich history of discovery and innovation.

WE TRAIN THE WORLD'S BEST

We are training the cancer specialists and health care leaders of tomorrow. We provide a rich learning environment for medical residents and young scientists from around the world, who then take what they've learned to other top medical centres worldwide.

WE MOVE RESEARCH FORWARD

The many relationships in place with industry partners, other healthcare organizations and academic institutions across Canada and around the world allow us to advance our research more quickly. Massive tasks such as identifying genetic markers of different cancers require intense collaboration.

WE HAVE PASSIONATE DONORS

We have tremendous support from our donor community. We have committed donors who share our conviction that We Will Conquer Cancer In Our Lifetime. Believe it.

A Message from
THE PRINCESS MARGARET LEADERSHIP

We will be using the term Personalized Cancer Medicine more and more often when we talk about cancer treatment, and we are excited to be playing a world-leading role in creating a model for this new approach. Personalized Cancer Medicine focuses on using a patient’s unique genetic information to more precisely diagnose their cancer and determine its prognosis, and to select treatments most likely to benefit them specifically.

But Personalized Cancer Medicine also describes an approach that has been practiced for some time at The Princess Margaret. As a centre that is 100 percent focused on cancer, we have always focused on the individual patient and not just the disease.

This is why we are continuously:

  • Developing award-winning care programs to assist our patients and their families in managing pain, disease symptoms and treatment side effects.

  • Recruiting highly-skilled physicians who have the knowledge and background to lead important research projects and clinical studies that improve the standard of care for patients.

  • Building multi-disciplinary teams that include engineers, bioinformatics specialists and medicinal chemists, as well as commercialization specialists who focus on speeding new technology and discoveries into production so they can help patients sooner.

Our job is to attract and retain these talented individuals and build the global connections needed to ensure that progress is made. It is individuals working collaboratively—not just at The Princess Margaret, but across the world—that will conquer cancer in our lifetime. Believe it.

Thank you for your support that allows us to be leaders in Personalized Cancer Medicine.

Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz,
Medical Director Cancer Program
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/UHN

Dr. Ben Neel,
Research Director
Ontario Cancer Institute and
The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/UHN

Learn more about the Cancer Centre at thePrincessMargaret.ca

CHCH Special: Doves of Hope Campaign - Full Coverage

Watch an interview with Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz and Dr. Ben Neel

NEWS & MEDIA

NEWS ARTICLES

KEY QUESTIONS

What is Personalized Cancer Medicine at The Princess Margaret?
Personalized Cancer Medicine is a multi-faceted approach to care that focuses on the unique nature of each patient: finding the right treatment for the right patient at the right time.
How is this different?
Traditionally, treatment was provided according to disease type i.e. breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, etc. Thanks to advances in research and a better understanding of the molecular basis of cancer, we now know that there may be many more sub-types of cancer – for example, as many as 16 sub-types of breast cancer – each one of which may require a different treatment. Similarly, patients have different psychological and support needs – Personalized Cancer Medicine integrates and addresses all these factors.
How will this help patients?
By basing treatment on a better understanding of the unique character of each cancer and each patient, we will be able to provide people with more effective and less toxic treatments.
Isn't this being done already?
Many of the techniques and technologies needed to implement Personalized Cancer Medicine are currently being developed in research laboratories but have only a limited application in patients. Our goal is to move these developments rapidly to the clinic so that patients can benefit now.
What is The Princess Margaret's vision for Personalized Cancer Medicine?
Our vision is to molecularly diagnose the tumors of new patients on a routine basis by 2018 in order to advance personalized treatment.
What will this require?
This will require an investment of $1 Billion to create and deliver the new gold standard in cancer care: Personalized Cancer Medicine.
What will the money be used for?
The money will support a multi-disciplinary approach:
  1. Detect: See tumors earlier.
  2. Diagnose: Analyze tumors more precisely.
  3. Target: Treat tumors with more specific surgery, radiation, drugs and immune therapy.
  4. Support: Offer a full range of psychosocial, palliative, nursing, education and survivorship options.
How can I make a difference?
You can help by making a donation. Click here to donate now.

MAKE A DONATION

It's quick. It's easy. It will make a difference you can
believe in.

Online:

DONATE NOW

--OR--

Over the phone:

416-946-6560 (press 1)

MAKE A TRANSFORMATIONAL GIFT

To help transform cancer care through Personalized Cancer Medicine at The Princess Margaret with a gift of $25,000 or more, please fill out the form below and we will be in touch with you to discuss your options:

CONTACT US

Mailing Address:

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation
610 University Avenue
Toronto, ON M5G 2M9
Phone: 416-946-6560
Toll Free: 1-866-224-6560
Fax: 416-946-6563

In Person:

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation
700 University Ave, 10th Floor
Toronto, ON M5G 1Z5

Charitable Organization No. 88900 7597 RR0001

ASK US A QUESTION

For more on the Cancer Centre please visit thePrincessMargaret.ca
For more about the Foundation please visit thePMCF.ca

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