Author: Jennifer Gouchie-Terri, Chronicle Herald/SaltWire – Publish date: Sept. 12, 2024
Revolutionizing local cancer care with liquid biopsy technology
Imagine being able to detect whether a patient is cancer-free after surgery or the earliest signs that their cancer has returned all through a simple blood test. Funds raised through this year’s BMO Ride for Cancer are funding cutting-edge liquid biopsy technology at the QEII Health Sciences Centre that will put this goal within reach.
The project – which will mark one of the first times in Canada that liquid biopsies are clinically deployed and integrated into patients’ care journeys – will introduce a new era of personalized medicine in Nova Scotia. There are many game-changing benefits including providing critical answers about a patient’s cancer sooner, improving survival rates with earlier detection and personalized treatment options, sparing patients from unnecessary treatments and harmful side effects and keeping care closer to home as patients can undergo a simple blood test in any community across the province.
Today only (September 12), all donations to BMO Ride for Cancer will be triple matched by the Ramia family, who’ve stepped up to support the liquid biopsy project in a big way. This means until midnight, the community will have the opportunity to triple their impact on local cancer care.
The Ramias, a family of six brothers, know the devastating impact cancer has on a family. Their mother passed away from breast cancer and, ever since, they have been passionate about supporting cancer treatment and research, including establishing the Gibran & Jamile Ramia Endowed Chair in Surgical Oncology with Dalhousie University and the QEII Foundation (host organization of BMO Ride for Cancer).
“When we learned of this new opportunity with liquid biopsy, we really felt compelled to help establish this program for our community,’’ shares Joe Ramia, a local leader in the development industry.
“Having this non-invasive test available for cancer patients will be life-changing for them. To save them from unnecessary radiation or chemo treatment is huge.’’
The Ramia family is providing a $600,000 matching gift to support liquid biopsy at the QEII.
“We live here, work here, and have raised our families here. It is important that the best health care be available here,’’ says Joe.
QEII pathologist and medical director of the molecular diagnostics lab, Dr. Michael Carter, is excited about the potential of this new technology.
“Access to liquid biopsy will help further establish the QEII as a centre of excellence in cancer care and make us a national leader in implementing this new technology,’’ he shares.
The benefits of liquid biopsy are quite significant, says Dr. Carter. It will save patients from undergoing a tissue biopsy which comes with risks, including bleeding and infection. Another downside, he says, is the wait list for a tissue biopsy can be up to a month or more as these are typically performed by a team of experts in the hospital.
“In contrast, liquid biopsy patients need only provide a regular blood sample, and while not completely free of risk and inconveniences, they are much faster, much lower risk and they can be done anywhere in Nova Scotia,’’ he says.
Because liquid biopsy results tend to be available sooner, cancer patients can start treatment earlier, potentially leading to better outcomes. If evidence of cancer isn’t detected in liquid biopsy from patients who have undergone surgery, there’s a good chance the patient is disease-free, opening up the possibility of avoiding chemotherapy and the side effects and costs associated with treatment. Cancer recurrences can be identified through liquid biopsies long before imaging tests or any symptoms arise, which Dr. Carter says will ultimately lead to earlier treatment plans for patients. The technology can also help determine what treatment options will be most effective.
“Our care teams are extremely grateful to every BMO Ride for Cancer participant and donor supporting this project and improving care for cancer patients and their families,” says Dr. Carter, who is also riding in the 2024 event alongside eight of his laboratory medicine colleagues.
As a medical oncologist at the QEII, Dr. Ravi Ramjeesingh says the potential impact of this liquid biopsy technology cannot be understated, which he says is especially beneficial for cancers that are difficult to biopsy due to their location and for patients who are too unwell to undergo a traditional tissue biopsy.
“It will truly be a game-changer,” says Dr. Ramjeesingh. “Our province has the opportunity to be leaders in this area across the country, but we would not be able to do this without our BMO Ride for Cancer participants and donors.
It’s why Dr. Ramjeesingh encourages everyone to donate today as their impact will go three times as far – all thanks to the Ramia family.
“The community’s support so far has been amazing,’’ he says. “We can bring this to the finish line.”
Today only (Sept. 12), all donations to BMO Ride for Cancer are being triple matched by the Ramia family. Triple your impact when you donate to a rider or the event at YourRideForCancer.ca or 902 334 1546.
