Princess Margaret Cancer Centre newsletter

Our warmest welcome to the following people who have joined The Princess Margaret’s Inner Circle since February 2017. Community donors giving $1,000 or more during the year are automatically enrolled in the Inner Circle.

We are pleased to acknowledge your great spirit of leadership through your generous support of our vision to Conquer Cancer In Our Lifetime.

For more information, please contact Karina Wong at 416.946.2842 or Karina.Wong@thepmcf.ca

1012689 Ontario Limited

Walter Cottingham

Kwok Fong Huen

Bhanu Raja

1898497 Ontario Inc. O/A T.A. Painting and Wallcovering

Sue Daudelin

Ivey Business School

Gudo Rijkenberg

Diazon Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Gerald Izenberg

Alessandra Romero

40444347 Canada Inc.

Megan Dickinson

Ziva Izenberg

Annie Ropar

AKAL Steel (2005) Inc

Di Marco Family Foundation

David Saffran

William Anderson

Wayne Do

J. Vickers Medicine Professional Corporation

B. Anthony Armson

Sally Donovan

Stephen Arpin

Anna Dounets

John Baker

Freda Drukier

Carla Batista

Colleen Durno

Baxalta Canada Corporation

David Laister

Phillip Seltzer

Lancaster Financial Inc

Kathleen Severino

Na Lin

Reza Shaygan

Donald Loeb

Helena Simao

Shannon Durno

Macquarie North America Ltd.

Lindsay Sinclair

Paul Beauchesne

Seymour Epstein

Patricia Maguire

Monica Belcourt

E. R. Squibb & Sons, L. L. C

Rick Mak

Black Jack Aggregate Transport Inc

Jennifer Fata

Sonia Mak

Jojo Feeney

Mark McCauley

Barbara Flynn

MDDirect

Foremost Financial Corporation

Fariba Motamed

Antonia Giannopoulos

Sharon Newlands

Blake Wallace

Gordon Canning

Paul Nash

The Primrose Charitable Foundation TPR Education Canada, ULC

Tony Nguyen

Sterling Gunn

Sabrina Nicoletti

Jerome Werger

Rabeya Hashmi

Sean O’Sullivan

Whitby Sports Hall of Fame

Helen Hassan

Jose Pessoa

Brian Hogan

Paul Petherick

White Place Investments Limited

Peter Comber

Jean Holliday

Bonnie Poole

John Wragg

Joanne Concisom

Mary Hooey

Houda Rahim

William Wyatt

David Caryll Richard Chan Vantien Chu Morley and Rita Cohen Foundation

Afternoon Tea at The Omni King Edward Hotel On Tuesday, August 8th, Inner Circle donors and special guests gathered at The Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto for the 10th Annual Donor Appreciation Tea. The event included afternoon tea and featured guest speakers Dr. Fei-Fei Liu and cancer survivor Jessica Lui. To join the Inner Circle and get invited to exclusive events, please contact Karina Wong at 416.946.2842 or Karina.Wong@thepmcf.ca

With your support, we’re not only productively disruptive in our fundraising techniques, we also fund productively disruptive researchers like Dr. Tak Mak and clinician-scientists like Dr. Jonathan Irish.

New technologies in genomics, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) are already transforming and disrupting past practices for targeting and treating cancer. For example, Sean Parker, of Facebook and Napster fame, has been a public advocate for disruptive thinking in areas

Fall 2017

such as immunotherapy and has generously supported transformational research.

Inside this newsletter, you’ll find some great examples of how we’re doing just that at The Princess Margaret through the exciting work of Dr. Benjamin Haibe-Kains and Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku.

When you make a donation, you are supporting the disruptive thinking found in one of the world’s top 5 cancer research centres.

The Princess Margaret is on the front line, embracing transformational thinking and disruptive medicine and technologies to improve patient outcomes across Canada and around the world.

Thank you for supporting The Princess Margaret’s vision to Conquer Cancer In Our Lifetime.

Thank you for helping make these things possible. Without the support of our generous donors, we simply couldn’t do what we do. Here’s to the disruptors and the transformational leaders who lead the way in genomics, robotics, AI, and the important new world of disrupting cancer.

Duc Tran Bruce Walter

Douglas Grundy

The people researching and treating cancer need to be as disruptive as this disease in their thinking — because disruption is urgently required as we confront cancer.

The 2017 Doves of Hope Campaign: Watch Your Mailbox!

Fulfilling Our Mission

M5G 2M9

Canadian Hematology Society

Vimla Tarneja

New research indicates that one in two Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. This is a frightening statistic about a terrible disease — a highly disruptive disease that evolves, mutates, hides, and recurs without warning and often with little predictability.

Let Hope Fly Release your Dove of Hope today!

The Doves of Hope campaign has become an important annual tradition at The Princess Margaret for all those touched by cancer and all who come through the doors of the cancer centre, especially during the holiday season. Stay tuned for more information on how you can help encourage perseverance, courage, and hope for cancer patients and their families.

610 University Avenue, Toronto ON

Mehdi Bukhari

Ahmad Tabrizi

Message from President & CEO Paul Alofs

Your Dove of Hope is enclosed.

Harold Brudner

S. Martin Stone

An Exciting New Era in Disruptive Technologies

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation is passionate about impact, efficient fundraising, and effective stewardship so that our collective vision to Conquer Cancer In Our Lifetime can be achieved.

Our mission is to raise and steward funds to deliver breakthrough research, exemplary teaching, and compassionate care at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, one of the top 5 cancer research centres in the world.

To view our Annual Report and Financial Summary, please visit www.ThePMCF.ca/news-media/publications

Please visit us at www.dovesofhope.ca

Privacy Statement 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9 Tel: 416.946.6560 Toll Free: 1.866.224.6560 donorupdate@thepmcf.ca www.ThePMCF.ca Charitable organization no. 88900 7597 RR0001

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation is dedicated to supporting excellence in health care by raising funds for cancer research, patient care, and education.

We can only successfully fundraise with the support of our friends and community. If, as a supporter, you wish to limit or alter the number and/or timing of the mailings you receive, please contact us at 416.946.4501 ext. 5265 to discuss your preferences.

We value all of our supporters and are committed to working with each donor for their benefit and that of the cancer centre.

Should you wish to be removed from our fundraising list(s) at any time, please contact us at 416.946.2114 or email: list.removal@thepmcf.ca We do not trade, rent, or sell the names of our valued supporters.

Tax receipts will be issued for donations of $15 or more.

Meet Robert Kyle, the patient who was counting on cutting-edge disruptive technologies to save his life. inSiGHT is published twice a year for donors, friends, and supporters of The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

www.ThePMCF.ca/inSiGHT

In This Issue Meet the monthly donor who lost loved ones too soon

Leading the way with disruptive technologies

Making great strides in lung cancer treatment

Disruptive Technology’s Unprecedented Degree of Precision “A Terrific Thing”

Harnessing the Power of Computers Making Great Strides in Lung Cancer

Personal Loss Inspires Donor’s Monthly Giving to Help Conquer Cancer

“There’s this comfort level that comes with knowing you’re in extremely good hands. The professionalism is backed up by technology that is literally second to none.”

Massive amounts of data and new computational methods are helping design new therapies for patients

Top thoracic surgeon saving lives with advances in the lab

Losing her dad and a young cousin to cancer has made Carla Nesci a generous monthly supporter of critical research at The Princess Margaret

Dr. Benjamin Haibe-Kains, a scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, was just six months old when his father died of lung cancer — and the courage of his mother was the impetus for his focus on personalized cancer medicine.

From a very young age, Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku knew he wanted to become a surgeon. It wasn’t until medical school that he knew exactly what kind.

Robert Kyle survived a heart transplant in 2014, only to be diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer in June 2016.

It was the kind of daunting news no one wants to receive — especially so soon after having open-heart surgery — but Robert was relieved to find himself in the hands of the world-class professionals at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

“I’m on a lot of immunosuppressant drugs, so there’s been a lot of fancy stick-handling to try to coordinate things so we don’t agitate the heart but we still get at these awful cancer cells,” Robert says.

New technology is “literally second to none” “It’s wonderful that we’ve got this kind of facility here.

There’s this comfort level that comes with knowing you’re in extremely good hands. The professionalism is backed up by technology that is literally second to none.”

“I’ve been privy to some pretty high-tech treatments that are really quite astounding. It was a little scary at times because as soon as people mention cancer, all these visions come up, all these things we think we know. But it’s totally different when you’re a part of it.”

Robert received MRI-guided HDR brachytherapy — a form of radiotherapy in which a sealed radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment — in The Princess Margaret’s state-of-the-art MRgRT suite, which is the first of its kind in Canada. Operational since

Disruptive technology gives research a new edge

2015, the suite features specialized equipment that allows for the delivery of MRI-guided cancer treatment.

Truly personalized treatment With minimum disruption to the patient, high-quality MR images identify parts of the prostate that have increased tumour burden, allowing the brachytherapy dose to be intensified in those areas. The dose to the rest of the gland — which may have no cancer or only microscopic levels of disease — can be lowered, offering truly personalized treatment.

For Robert, a retired business consultant originally from Winnipeg, the unprecedented degree of precision has meant an improved chance of recovery and the bestpossible quality of life.

“The Princess Margaret was the best place for me to be, to treat what I’ve got,” he says. “I knew this MRgRT facility was one of a few in the world that could offer me this sophisticated treatment. I knew it was cutting edge.”

Avoiding the good cells, killing the bad “This is the top facility certainly in this country — maybe even the planet. I was quite fascinated by the equipment.

There’s always this problem of hitting some good cells along with killing bad cells—but this is so focused, there’s very little collateral damage, which is quite a terrific thing.”

“The best part has been the doctors and staff, and the way I’ve been treated. I was told everything. I found that refreshing and comforting. Even when you’re going through pain, it’s not so bad because you know what’s happening.”

Robert is thriving today, and hopes others are inspired by his story to support the great work that happens every day at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

With very large clusters of computers helping determine what makes a tumour a tumour, Dr. Haibe-Kains is using massive amounts of data to determine the right treatment for the right person at the right time.

Computers do what humans can’t “My lab is focusing on trying to understand how drugs and chemicals affect tumour cells,” he explains. “The technology is evolving so fast that it’s actually getting very challenging to keep up. On the other hand, the data we have now is incredibly informative for what we want to do: build complex models to predict the best therapy, the best drugs, and which combination you should give to each individual patient.”

“Humans are not equipped to crack those kinds of data. You need powerful computers and machine learning methods to identify the genes and patterns that are important and how you combine all those complex patterns to design new therapies for patients.”

“The way we build predictors of therapy response is trying to find formulas that could estimate, say, a probability for a given patient to benefit from a given therapy, whether a single drug or a combination of drugs. This is a complex problem that is highly multi-disciplinary in nature. In the lab, we have computer scientists, engineers, pharmacologists, statisticians, and mathematicians working on this problem, and we closely collaborate with other basic researchers and clinicians. It’s this kind of environment that enables the best research. And The Princess Margaret is a great place to do that.”

“I knew lung cancer was a big problem and the [methods] to treat it were still limited,” Dr. Yasufuku recalls. “I knew there must be a better, minimally invasive approach and that’s why I became a thoracic surgeon.”

Today, as Director of the Interventional Thoracic Surgery Program, Dr. Yasufuku is a leader in minimally invasive diagnostics and therapeutics.

With numerous clinical trials under way, he is deeply motivated to make advances in the lab that save lives and help patients recover more quickly.

Using near infrared light to detect tumours Dr. Yasufuku is excited about several new developments that allow for more precise surgical navigation, including the use of nanoparticles to detect tumours.

Although nanoparticles have been in use for years as a drugdelivery system, specialists like Dr. Yasufuku are now using this technology to guide them in surgery.

“Cancer cells have very leaky capillaries and these nanoparticles tend to get trapped in the tumour,” he says.

“Imagine there’s a tumour so small you can’t even see it.

Once nanoparticles are injected into the body, we can use special infrared light to see the tumour glowing — and that aids the surgeon doing the surgery.”

These are the kind of cutting-edge technologies that have made The Princess Margaret one of the world’s top 5 cancer research centres. Thank you for your ongoing support, which makes advances like these possible.

Carla Nesci knows what it’s like to grieve for loved ones lost too soon. Her father passed away in 2014 of lung cancer, age 74. Years earlier, a cousin died at just 15 years old, also of lung cancer, leaving her extended family to grieve for a life lost so young.

Carla is now 41 and a stay-at-home mom with three young girls herself — and she feels more keenly than ever the desire to do what she can for others.

“Dad worked for the railway most of his adult life,” Carla says. “One of his lungs was completely destroyed. We were very, very sad that we lost him. He didn’t have a fighting chance. It was very quick.”

For Carla, grief over the loss of her father and cousin made The Princess Margaret a natural fit for her philanthropic leanings. She has supported the Doves of Hope campaign every year since 2011 and became a monthly donor in 2014.

“When I volunteer, I meet other people who have been affected by cancer. I know The Princess Margaret does an amazing job and I know other people feel the same way.

I’m 100% sure my dollars are being used in a very good way.”

“I feel sad for the people that have to go through this disease,” she says. “It’s very, very important for me to help. The researchers and doctors do an amazing job but they need help and I think it’s important for all of us to do our best.”

“I want to thank everybody that works at The Princess Margaret for working so hard and making such great advances in cancer research. As a mom, that’s very important to me. You never know if your loved ones will need it one day. I’m very thankful for that.”

Maximize your wealth on November 29th, 2017!

Monthly giving: An easy, convenient way to give

Come join us at Bayview Golf Club for a special presentation on “Income Tax Reduction and Estate Tax Elimination.”

When you give monthly, you’re helping provide a valuable source of reliable income that helps us plan ahead. Your dollars will go further to help advance research and improve patient care.

Learn how to minimize taxes and leave a lasting legacy.

Please contact Genane Peniak at 416.946.2295 or Genane.Peniak@thepmcf.ca to learn more.

To learn more about our monthly donor program, please contact Rebecca Zhao at 416.946.4501 ext. 3107 or Rebecca.Zhao@thepmcf.ca

What is a “disruptive technology?”

How does disruptive technology work in a medical setting?

Where does The Princess Margaret fit in?

Technology that disrupts the way things are done and redefines the standard approach moving forward.

With something as complicated as cancer, new ways of thinking are urgently required. Transformational “disruptive” thinking is used to improve patient outcomes.

Our transformational thinkers are leading the way in research and innovative technology in fields such as genomics, robotics, and artificial intelligence — which translates into a better patient experience.