OUR MISSION & GOALS
To advance prevention of oral cancer across British Columbia through creation of outstanding education, research and service at the community level.
The BC Oral Cancer Prevention Program is a translational program whose goal is to integrate prevention, screening, early diagnosis and effective treatment of oral cancer and its precursor lesions into a province-wide seamless network. Patient lesions are assessed using a developed risk model to determine probability of progression or regression, and the patients are triaged into high or low oral cancer risk groups. High risk individuals can then be followed. The program (in conjunction with Cancer Imaging) has developed tools (VELscope; toluidine blue application; etc) for earlier clinical diagnosis, and better margin visualization of frank cancers. These advances should help surgeons and radiation oncologists materially reduce the frequency of recurrence or metastasis from oral cancer.
The aim is to translate research findings into practical care at a population level with a minimum of delay. BC OCPP has several provincial, national and international initiatives in place, including a joint Canada-India program to export our technology and procedures to India where oral cancer is one of that nation’s major malignancies.
