Health Sciences Centre — Winnipeg

 

Prevention, treatment, palliation, and quality of life in cancer care; new approaches to cancer treatment; trimodal therapy for mesothelioma; clinical trials.
The Health Sciences Centre (HSC), just one hospital of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, is affiliated with the University of Manitoba and serves the residents of Manitoba, Northwest Ontario, and Nunavut as both a teaching hospital and as a research center. It was established in 1973 by a legislative act joining together the Winnipeg General Hospital, the Children’s Hospital of Winnipeg, the Manitoba Rehabilitation Hospital, the D.A. Stewart Centre respiratory hospital. And, through a separate agreement, merged with the Manitoba Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation, now CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB). Clinical programs at the center include diagnostic imaging, medicine, oncology and surgery. The center cares for cancer patients with its partner CCMB, which is located on the Health Sciences Centre campus. The new Urgent Cancer Care Clinic and Cancer Helpline provide patient care quickly, addressing disease-related symptoms or treatment side effects. Support Services includes counseling, support groups, nutrition services and other resources. The Clinical Investigations Office (CIO) at CCMB coordinates clinical research in the areas of prevention, treatment, palliation and quality of life. Under the direction of the 15 disease site groups, the CIO has been facilitating clinical trials since the late 1960s. Through these trials, patients have been given the opportunity to access the latest forms of treatment, tests and prevention tools. Of the roughly 120 clinical trials open to participation each year, the CIO enrolls an average of 300 new patients while continuing to oversee participants in ongoing studies. Clinical research incorporates studies offered through cooperative groups, pharmaceutical companies and in-house research.