Why Invest in Immunotherapy Treatments? Read Our Q&A

The Robert L. Conconi Foundation recently announced that we are investing in the future of cancer care – immunotherapy treatments. We truly believe that immunotherapy is the most promising new cancer treatment in development. Why are we investing in this type of cancer care? We answer all of your questions below…

What is immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is the treatment of cancers by inducing, enhancing, or suppressing an immune response. Immunotherapy clinical trials will be a personalized approach that enlists the body’s natural defences to fight cancer cells like they would fight an infectious agent.

Why are we investing in immunotherapy?

The “one size fits all” universal treatment like chemo and radiation are not as effective as we’d like them to be. Not to mention the treatments themselves are highly toxic to the rest of the body.

The BC Cancer Agency (BCCA) has been working for decades to produce personalized immunotherapy treatments to patients across British Columbia with a form of immunotherapy called “adoptive t-cell therapy” or ACT. Their goal is to collect, activate and expand a patients own T cells (immune cells that circulate through the body searching for disease to eliminate) and induce large numbers of them back into the bloodstream. Once the tumour is under control, the T cells will form a “memory” population that will remain in the bloodstream for many years, ready to mount a response if that cancer reoccurs.

Why now?

We are at a pivotal time for cancer treatment breakthroughs. The medical community agrees that recent advances are remarkable and have potential to be transformative and life saving, especially with immunotherapy. We’ve come a long way since the early days of cancer yet even today oncologists are left with some guess work when it comes to which therapies may or may not work for their patients.

Our hope is that our investment into this type of cancer care (with your philanthropic donation help) will provide these immunotherapy trials to patients all around BC and save lives!

Who will benefit from it?

All the funds raised will be directed to the immunotherapy team at the BCCA – with hopes that in a not so distant future we can have these therapies available to patients in BC.

What will it take for it to become a reality?

With your help through philanthropic donations, the BC Cancer Agency is committed to launching ACT clinical trials by 2017.

Join us in our quest to provide this innovative cancer treatment to patients across BC! Today until October 22^nd, the Robert L. Conconi Foundation will match your donations made to the BC Cancer Foundation dollar for dollar up to $1 million.

Click here to donate today and help advance this innovative cancer treatment.

Have more questions for us? Comment below or connect with us on social media:

Facebook: Robertlconconifoundation

Twitter: @ConconiFndn

LinkedIn: Robert L. Conconi Foundation