“If there’s one thing better than curing cancer, it’s never getting it in the first place.”
– Dr. Dianne Miller, Co-founder of OVCARE
OVCARE is British Columbia’s multi-institutional and multidisciplinary ovarian cancer research group. OVCARE was founded in 2000 and has grown from a small group of researchers and disconnected research projects to a coherent team that is recognized internationally as a leader in the study of ovarian cancer.
The team is funded in part by donations to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.
Ovarian cancer by the numbers
- Each year in Canada, over 3100 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and over 1950 will die from their disease.
- 7 in 10 women die within 5 years of diagnosis
- The OVCARE team’s goal is to decrease cancer mortality from all gynecological cancers by 50% in 20 years
Key research and programs
Disease Types: In 2008, OVCARE researchers discovered that ovarian cancer is not a single disease but multiple, distinct disease types. This has fundamentally changed the way ovarian cancer research is being performed in BC, nationally and around the world.
Fallopian Tube Removal: Most ovarian cancers originate in the fallopian tubes. Knowing this, OVCARE launched the world’s first ovarian cancer prevention program at VGH. This changed the Canadian standard of practice for gynecologic procedures such as hysterectomies and tubal ligations to include, in appropriate cases, the safe removal of the fallopian tubes. This prevents this type of ovarian cancer from ever occurring.
BRCA Gene Mutation: As a result of OVCARE research, women in Canada diagnosed with ovarian cancer undergo testing for BRCA1/2 mutations that are associated with other types of cancer, including breast cancer. Identifying this gene enables risk-reducing interventions for patients and family members, saving further lives.
What everyone should know about ovarian cancer
Sign up to download an exclusive info sheet from leading ovarian cancer oncologist Dr. Jessica McAlpine
Preventing ovarian cancer: OVCARE publishes breakthrough study
The donor-funded OVCARE team at VGH have reached a breakthrough milestone for their innovative cancer prevention strategy they developed a decade ago—and it’s already saving lives.
Learn more about OVCARE.
