October is breast cancer awareness month, a disease that will develop in one in eight Canadian women, according to the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS).
Instead of dwelling on the horrific aspects of the disease, it might be better to focus on some of the advances that Canadian researchers have made in treating and preventing it.
Cancer is not a new subject in the Canadian medical field, as the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) was established in 1947.
In the 1960s, Dr. Jack Cunningham of Toronto created a computer program to accurately determine the amount of radiation to use on a tumour. Prior to his breakthrough, oncologists were left to their best judgment when it came to dosages, often with suboptimal results.
In the 80s, two doctors in Toronto made important advancements in the area of digital mammography, which significantly improved detection of small tumours, while exposing the patient to less radiation than film imagery.
During that same decade, the National Breast Screening Study was launched by Canadian Drs. Anthony Miller and Cornelia Baines. Following nearly 90,000 women, the study was groundbreaking and lead to advances in public policy not only in Canada, but around the world.
In the 90s, Dr. Norman Boyd was one of the first in the world to show that breast density is one of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer. Another Canadian researcher, Dr. Steven Narod, helped discover and isolate the BRCA1 gene, which is thought to account for around four per cent of all breast cancer incidences.
More recently, drug trials by the NCIC have led to breakthroughs in breast cancer reduction and recurrence. Though it is estimated that breast cancer kills 14 Canadian women a day, the death rate has been declining since the 80s, due in no small part to homegrown improvements in screening and awareness.