Go behind the groundbreaking work at The Princess Margaret

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is known to many as a place where Canadians go for cancer treatment. For over 70 years, The Princess Margaret has also been recognized as a global research leader. “We’re a cancer research powerhouse that ranks among the world’s top cancer centres in terms of research output, influence and patient volume,” explains Dr. Keith Stewart, director, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and vice president, cancer, University Health Network.

There have been many notable firsts and remarkable discoveries made by Canadians at The Princess Margaret. The stem cell was discovered here by Dr. James Till and Dr. Ernest McCulloch in 1963. More recently, Dr. Raymond Kim and Dr. Trevor Pugh have shown that serial blood tests looking for cancer DNA in the blood can detect cancer at an earlier stage in high-risk patients.

Discovery and innovation continue to drive research and care at The Princess Margaret today. “We have 700 clinical trials open at any one time,” Stewart explains. “One hundred and fifty new trials are approved and activated a year, with patients enrolled.” Clinical trials at The Princess Margaret are often done in partnership with other top cancer centres, helping to drive new discoveries and implement cancer treatment improvements in Canada and around the world.

Much of this groundbreaking research wouldn’t be possible without funding and support from donors to The Princess Margaret, which allows researchers, clinicians and doctors to make swift decisions. “Philanthropy allows us to move very quickly so we can get studies off the ground faster,” says Stewart.

Targeted therapies are at the forefront of cancer treatment innovation at The Princess Margaret. One important example is the clinical trial work being done in theranostics, which can more precisely target cancer cells to deliver medicines. Theranostics is a combined therapeutic and diagnostic approach to target diseases such as cancer. “Using a single molecular probe, the technique enables clinicians to identify tumours through nuclear imaging and then subsequently deliver cancer-killing radiation therapy to the same locations,” explains Dr. Rebecca Wong, radiation oncologist and clinician-investigator at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. “This empowers more personalized, efficient and effective care for our cancer patients.”

Donations support offerings like The Princess Margaret’s survivorship programs. “Thankfully, more and more people are surviving cancer, and they want to go back to living their regular lives again,” says Stewart. These programs connect patients and their families and caregivers with kinesiologists, physiotherapists, social workers and even chefs to help survivors adjust to life post-cancer.

The Princess Margaret’s young adults program supports patients under the age of 40, and in the Magic Castle program, says Stewart, “Children can be in a safe daycare environment while their families get the treatment they need.” All of these programs are supported by donations to The Princess Margaret.

Stewart is keen to emphasize that all donations truly make a difference. “We couldn’t be one of the world’s top cancer centres without philanthropy,” he says. “We just wouldn’t be able to have the scope, depth and breadth of research, care, innovation and quality that we have.”

There’s a sense of pride, too, in knowing that cutting-edge discoveries made here in Toronto have since gone on to become global standards. It’s all part of the centre’s mission to create a world free from the fear of cancer. “Toronto should be proud of The Princess Margaret being one of the leading cancer centres in the world,” Stewart says. “Philanthropy is absolutely essential to what we do. Our donors, supporters and talented, dedicated staff make that possible.”

Learn more about The Princess Margaret and how you can donate now by visiting thepmcf.ca.

Giving Tuesday, December 2, is one of The Princess Margaret’s most popular donation days. Every donation matters. No impact is too small. Join the cause and become a beacon of hope at thepmcf.ca.