Backgrounder: BC Cancer Agency, UVic Join Forces to Fight Cancer

Development of an ultra-compact gamma camera for detection of sentinel lymph nodes
Dr. Andrew Truman (Physicist, BC Cancer Agency &emdash; Vancouver Island Centre; adjunct, Departments of Physics and Astronomy and Electrical and Computer Engineering, UVic)
Dr. Harry Kwok (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UVic)
This project involves the development of a gamma camera small enough to be used in the operating room to help surgeons identify for excision the closest lymph nodes that receive drainage from a primary breast tumour, thus limiting their dissection to the nodes through which the cancer spreads.

DNA Repair, DNA repair gene variation, and breast cancer
Dr. Brian Weinerman (Medical oncologist, BC Cancer Agency &emdash; Vancouver Island Centre)
Dr. Barry Glickman (Centre for Environmental Health, UVic)
In this project, researchers are investigating genetic variation in DNA repair genes to establish whether defects in DNA repair increase individual risk of breast cancer.

Mega-dose vitamins and minerals in the treatment of non-metastatic breast cancer
Dr. Ivo Olivotto (Radiation oncologist, BC Cancer Agency &emdash; Vancouver Island Centre)
Dr Nicol MacPherson (Medical oncologist, BC Cancer Agency &emdash; Vancouver Island Centre)
Dr. Mary Lesperance (Department of Mathematics and Statistics, UVic)
Dr. Harold Foster (Department of Geography, UVic)
This is a historical cohort study to investigate the effects of large doses of vitamins and minerals on breast cancer survival. Two UVic master's students in statistics are also involved in the study.

The potential for robotic excisional biopsy of breast masses
Dr. Andrew Truman (Physicist, BC Cancer Agency &emdash; Vancouver Island Centre; adjunct, Departments of Physics and Astronomy and Electrical and Computer Engineering, UVic)
Dr. Colin Bradley (Director, Laboratory for Automation, Communication, and Information Systems Research, UVic)
In this project, researchers are investigating a method of spatially stabilizing the breast so that a dimensionally accurate 3D x-ray representation of the tissue can be taken and used to guide a computer-controlled biopsy needle to accomplish a minimally invasive removal of the mass.

Medical informatics for prostate cancer
Dr. Howard Pai (Radiation oncologist, BC Cancer Agency &emdash; Vancouver Island Centre; adjunct, School of Health Information Science, UVic)
Dr. Charles Ludgate (Radiation oncologist, BC Cancer Agency &emdash; Vancouver Island Centre)
Dr. Francis Lau (School of Health Information Science, UVic)
Carol Wilcox, PhD candidate (School of Health Information Science, UVic)
The goal of this project is to develop an interactive database system that allows ongoing capture of patient data to assist with treatment decisions and survival predictions for people with prostate cancer.