2017 Annual Report

Dr. Daniel De Carvalho Dr. Daniel De Carvalho was the co-principal investigator on a multi-institutional research project investigating an incurable brain cancer in children. These researchers have discovered three distinct subgroups of this specific cancer and identified promising drugs to target each type. “Now we have the ability to match the patient to new drugs using this subgroup classification,” he says. “The next step will be moving into clinical trials to determine if the tumour targets will respond to the drugs, which are already either approved for use or being tested in clinical trials to treat other types of cancer.” Dr. Charles Catton An Ontario-led international clinical trial of 1,206 men with localized prostate cancer showed that compressing radiation treatments into four weeks from eight delivers similar outcomes. Dr. Charles Catton, radiation oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, was the co-principal investigator. In Canada, 20,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, many of whom have intermediate-risk disease that has not spread. “For some men, the shorter regimen meant slightly fewer side effects (particularly regarding bowel function) and therefore improved quality of life. The compressed course of treatment is of great benefit to patients and also to the system in terms of being able to treat more patients in less time,” says Dr. Catton. The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation | 17 FROM THE LAB TO THE CLINIC