Inoperable brain tumours made operable f Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Research Program go help!

Help fund our image-guided ablation and operative suite.What are the goals of this initiative?
Equipped with the most modern technologies for destroying tumours, the Odette Cancer Program will pioneer low-impact surgical techniques. Unlike surgery using a scalpel, ablation therapies have few side effects and require only very small incisions to either burn or freeze cancerous cells, thereby destroying tumours. We will use the ablation expertise we’ve gained through research into prostate, bone and brain cancers to accelerate the pace of innovation. We will develop and test ablation techniques, such as radiofrequency and focused ultrasound. And by pioneering MRI-guided radiation therapies, we will significantly increase radiation’s ability to target tumours and leave healthy tissue untouched.
Why is this initiative important?

Image-guided, low-impact treatments are the future of cancer care. They change the outcome for patients and help create a more sustainable health care system. They use fewer medical resources and have limited side effects. They offer hope for new cures and allow cancer patients to get back to their lives more quickly. Supporting the image-guided ablation & operative suite will enable the Odette Cancer Program to expand its leading-edge research and obtain the equipment necessary to go even further, ultimately shaping cancer care internationally.
How will the funds be used?

Your support will enable the purchase of technology essential to research in cancer ablation, such as focused ultrasound and radiofrequency equipment that is guided by MRI. We will also purchase an MRI-guided radiation machine to improve radiotherapy’s effectiveness. Your generosity will support clinical trial research that will make ablation therapies much more widely available. Renovating and expanding the space within the Odette Cancer Centre that will house the image-guided ablation & operative suite is a crucial aspect of this initiative. This will enable us to double the number of patients who are treated with our advanced radiation therapies.


Dr. Gregory Czarnota, Dr. Jean-Philippe Pignol

As director of Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Research Program and an innovative radiation oncologist, Dr. Czarnota is involved in multiple image-guided therapy research projects, including research into focused ultrasound treatment for cancer that has spread to bones.

Radiation oncologist Dr. Pignol has long been at the forefront of developing innovative and highly precise radiation treatments. He invented a breast cancer brachytherapy treatment that uses low-radiation seeds to target and kill lingering cancer cells following breast tumour removal.