Hope in 10 cancer breakthroughs

Where do your cancer research dollars go?

The mission that we have is to eventually create a world where Canadians don't have to fear cancer and in order to not fear cancer, we have to be able to understand it, says Luba Slatkovska, senior manager of research at the Canadian Cancer Society. The only way to understand cancer is to research.

To shine a light on the life-saving and life-enhancing potential of cancer research, the Canadian Cancer Society has selected the top 10 cancer research highlights of 2012.

These discoveries help reduce cancer rates, reduce mortality, and improve the quality of life for those diagnosed with cancer.

These 10 exciting findings were chosen from 730 research projects supported by the Canadian Cancer Society in 2012.

1. Decoding a deadly form of breast cancer will lead to more personalized treatments

An international team of scientists led by Dr. Sam Aparicio in Vancouver decoded, for the first time, the genetic makeup of triple-negative breast cancer. This breakthrough could help change the way this difficult-to-treat disease is diagnosed and may be the foundation for the next generation of treatments.

2. MAGIC team finds new ways to treat malignant childhood brain cancer

Dr. Michael Taylor in Toronto was part of the international MAGIC team of experts short for Medulloblastoma Advanced Genomics International Consortium that found several genetic abnormalities that led to the development of medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumour. The researchers identified many genetic targets for more effective treatments.

3. Improving survival for patients with rare form of pancreatic cancer

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Hope in 10 cancer breakthroughs