Oncology & Clinical Trials

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy diagnosed in North American men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. The Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC), a collaboration between UBC and Vancouver General Hospital, is committed to providing the very best treatment possible for men with Urologic malignancies. The mission of the VPC is to actively develop better diagnostic tools and treatments for men with genitourinary cancers.

The VPC is one of the world’s most respected cancer research facilities. It is a National Centre of Excellence and a designated Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research, attracting top scientists and health-care professionals from around the world. The VPC is a uniquely integrated program based on collaborative, multi-disciplinary networks linking our patients to academia, industry and innovative clinical trial networks

Comprised of a 60,000 square foot Prostate Research Laboratory, an adjacent Prostate Clinic, a Clinical Trials Unit, and a Supportive Care Program, the VPC attracts world-class researchers in genomics, computer science, informatics, bioengineering, and clinical trials. A new initiative, My Precision Oncology Program (MyPOP) launched in 2015 will develop a strategy for using genomic information from tumour biopsies to guide drug selection in patients with treatment resistant disease.

Clinical Trials

The clinical trials unit at the VPC provides the opportunity for patients to be involved in world-class research assessing novel therapies for Urologic malignancies. The VPC is involved in a variety of trials that range from local investigator initiated trials to large international cooperative group trials.  The VPC is closely involved with the Canadian Uro-oncology Group (CUOG), the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG), and SWOG.