Breast cancer and colorectal cancer are leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The identification of specific tumor characteristics that would allow for an accurate prediction (prognosticators) of disease course and response to treatment would represent an important advancement in the management of these common malignancies. Unfortunately, no currently known disease prognosticators are reliable in predicting clinical course, or identifying the treatment that would be of greatest benefit to an affected individual. Recently the detection in some tumours of HER1 and HER2 proteins – members of the type 1 growth receptor family (T1GFR) – have shown promise for helping predict patient outcomes and in determining which tumors respond best to specific therapies. These proteins have also recently been used as targets for newly developed drugs to treat these cancers. The expression of the entire T1GFR family (HER1, HER2, HER3, and HER4) by breast and colorectal tumors, and their potential usefulness in predicting disease outcome and patient response to specific treatment(s) has not been explored. Dr. Sam Wiseman is evaluating the expression of the entire T1GFR family in a group of 4500 breast cancer and 500 colorectal cancer samples to determine its relationship to patient treatment and outcomes. His study will be carried out utilizing tissue microarrays, a methodology that allows for the rapid evaluation of large numbers of tumors for molecular markers. The results of this study may lead to improved disease prognostication, outcome prediction, and therapy selection for people diagnosed with breast or colorectal cancer.
Year: 2005
Practice Experiences of Rural GP Surgeons in British Columbia
To explore the potential for enhancing the obstetrical skills of GP surgeons as a strategy for maintaining safe and cost-effective maternity care services in small, rural BC communities.
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Seniors Preventative Health Intervention Program
To assess whether a pharmacist in consultation with family physicians can improve medication management for older patients thus reducing hospital admissions, health services and costs due to inappropriate medication use.
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Can Telehealth Offer Practical Alternatives for the Delivery of Healthcare Services?
To implement and assess the effectiveness of cancer specialists using telehealth technology to provide consultation services for patients living in rural and remote communities in BC.
Calculating Health Care Costs Associated with Athsma in BC
To examine the economic costs of asthma in terms of the societal costs (quality of life, lost work days, etc), including the incremental cost-effectiveness of using newer, more expensive drugs that better manage asthma symptoms.
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Issues Related to Ethnicity Data Collection in Health Care Settings: A Critical Analysis
To analyze the ethical and other issues related to the collection and use of ethnicity data as a tool for addressing health and health care inequities across population groups.
Unclogging the Pediatric Emergency Room: Impact of Rapid Viral Diagnostics
To determine if use of a new program to support rapid diagnosis of viral respiratory infections in children will improve patient management and resource use in the Emergency Department by reducing wait time, improving decision making regarding diagnosis and decreasing antibiotic prescriptions.
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An Integrated Approach to the Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy
To institute a standardized protocol for the assessment, surveillance and management of women admitted with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and to monitor the effect of the protocol on health outcomes, resource utilization, place of care, and family/social disruption.
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Closing the Knowledge Care Gap for Seniors and Community Care Collaborative
To develop capacity to measure, at a population level, transitions in seniors' health and requirements for care in order to evaluate (a) the effects of these transitions on seniors’ health outcome, quality of life and their utilization of health services and (b) the effects on service providers’ work life.
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BC Alliance on Telehealth Research and Policy to Enhance Home and Community Care and Chronic Disease Management
To provide evidence and capacity building to support the integration of sustainable telehealth care services to support patient-focused homecare initiatives in the management of chronic disease.