Q&A; with Dr. Michael Wosnick Executive Director, National Cancer Institute of Canada, the research partner of the Canadian Cancer Society.

Q. Are we really making progress against cancer?
A. Absolutely. Back in the 1940s, the chances of surviving cancer were only about one in four, or 25 per cent. Today, more than 60 per cent of Canadians survive cancer. That's a very significant increase. Research has led to dramatic improvements in cancer prevention, detection and treatment. In particular, we now have high survival rates for many cancers such as testicular cancer, thyroid cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma and childhood leukemia. And 87 per cent of Canadian women with breast cancer will now survive.

Q. What types of research does the Canadian Cancer Society fund?
A. With the generous donations we receive from Canadians, we fund almost every type of cancer research you can imagine - from breast cancer to leukemia to lung cancer to prostate cancer - and in all areas, such as prevention, environmental causes of cancer, basic molecular research, genetics, supportive care and psycho-social issues. The Canadian Cancer Society is proud to be the largest and oldest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada.

Q. The Canadian Cancer Society funds millions of dollars in research every year. How do you make decisions about what to do with the money?
A. We take our responsibility with donor dollars extremely seriously. Hundreds of researchers across Canada submit grant applications to us every year. Every single one of these applications is subject to an internationally acclaimed, rigorous review process, considered among the best in the world. This ensures that only the best cancer research with the most potential for success receives funding.

Q. What percentage of applications get funded?
A. Despite the efforts of our many generous donors and volunteers, we do not have enough dollars to fund all the applications that our reviewers said would be the most likely to have impact. Of the more than 400 applications we received last year, we were only able to offer funding to 80 of them, about 20 per cent. Imagine how much closer we could get to unlocking the mysteries of cancer if all the best research proposals could be funded.

Q. What are some of most promising areas of research today?
A. In the last few years, we have seen enormously exciting progress in areas such as "designer drugs," cutting off the blood supply that nourishes tumours, preventative cancer vaccines (such as the HPV vaccine), cancer-killing viruses, nanotechnology, blocking growth signals that stimulate cell growth, and the identification of tumour-initiating cells. In terms of treatment, we are making huge strides as well. For example, chemotherapy treatments that are less toxic to the patient and more toxic to the cancer.

Q. Will we ever find a cure for cancer?
A. That's a question on everyone's mind, but finding one "cure" for cancer is not that simple. Cancer is actually at least 200 different diseases, so we're not likely to find a single "magic bullet" treatment or cure. Although basic cancer research has contributed many pieces to the cancer puzzle, a sudden breakthrough discovery about one type of cancer is unlikely to also provide a solution to all other cancers.

Q. What do you think can be achieved in our lifetime?
A. We have already achieved very high cure rates for many cancers, and I am convinced we will cure more and more types of cancer over time. But for those that we don't cure outright, I am confident that we will find even more innovative treatments that will make cancer a truly manageable disease that people can live with - rather than die from - like diabetes or like asthma. With continued donations to the Canadian Cancer Society, and consequently more funding available for cancer research, these goals become more attainable every day.

Q. What has changed in cancer research?
A. There has been a huge explosion of knowledge about cancer, especially in the last three decades. And just to give you a personal example - when I was a post-doctoral fellow 30 years ago, I had the job of studying one small gene family. And, over three laborious years of study, I was able to look at three or four genes in total. Well, today scientists can look at 50,000 genes at the same time! So technology has certainly helped speed up the pace of progress.

Q. What would you like to say to Canadian Cancer Society donors?
A. First of all, a huge "Thank you." Canada has a vibrant cancer research community whose research is leading the world when it comes to impact and "bang for the buck." I would encourage everyone to consider a gift - securities, funding a research program, leaving a donation in their will. These gifts from Canadians are saving lives and enriching lives every single day. I cannot imagine a better investment.

Q. What's one example of truly groundbreaking research that the Canadian Cancer Society has funded?
A. While there are far too many to mention, we are particularly proud of the work of the team of Dr. Ernest McCullough and Dr. James Till. These two brilliant Canadian scientists discovered the existence of stem cells. Stem cells have the unique ability to self-renew (reproduce themselves) and to differentiate (turn into other types of cells). This incredible discovery has saved many lives and continues to lead to new life-saving research into all types of diseases, especially cancer.

(article originally published in the Globe and Mail supplement on November 14, 2008)
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