Why Your Support Matters
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in Canada — but it doesn’t get the attention or funding it deserves. Despite its staggering impact, it receives just a fraction of cancer donations.
Together, we can change that.
The Reality of Lung Cancer in Canada
- Lung cancer is the #1 cause of cancer death worldwide.
- In Canada, it kills more people each year than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers — combined.
- 1 in 4 lung cancer patients are never smokers. It can affect anyone — and rates are rising among people under 50.
- Causes include genetics, radon, asbestos, air pollution, and other environmental exposures.
- Yet, only 0.1% of cancer donations go toward lung cancer. (Source: Canadian Cancer Society)
Your Donations Save Lives
Lung cancer treatment is being transformed by precision diagnostics and targeted therapies — and your support makes this possible.
At Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, one of Ontario’s leading lung cancer diagnostic centres, your donations help:
- Fund biomarker testing to match patients with treatments that are more effective and less toxic.
- Advance liquid biopsy, a non-invasive blood test that can detect cancer early and guide follow-up care.
- Train the next generation of oncologists, radiation specialists, and pathologists from across Canada and beyond.
- Maintain essential testing equipment that ensures patients get timely, accurate diagnoses.
Your Support at Work
2026
Training the Next Generation
In 2026, we’ve committed to funding Sunnybrook’s Interventional Pulmonology (IP) Fellowship Program. This program trains highly specialized physicians in minimally invasive techniques for diagnosing lung cancer, relieving airway blockages, and treating complex cases. Since 2019, IP Fellows trained at Sunnybrook have gone on to establish or strengthen programs at hospitals across Canada and internationally — extending the impact of donor support far beyond Sunnybrook’s corridors.
Each fellowship represents an investment in today’s patients and tomorrow’s leaders in lung cancer and respirology care.
2025
2024
- Replaced aging genetic testing equipment to reduce delays in treatment.
- Supported international trainees specializing in lung cancer.
- Funded a clinical trial using liquid biopsy in early-stage lung cancer patients. Early results may be presented at ASCO 2025.
2023
- Funded research into liquid biopsy, enabling earlier, safer diagnosis and faster treatment decisions.
2022
- Helped acquire equipment for Rapid Onsite Cytology Evaluation (ROSE) — a faster way to determine if a biopsy is positive for cancer, reducing patient wait times.
2021
- Enabled the purchase of an Ion Chef — an automated tool that increased the speed and capacity of lung cancer biomarker testing, expanding Sunnybrook’s reach across Ontario.
A Global Leader in Lung Cancer Care
Sunnybrook is internationally recognized and currently ranked #24 among the world’s best hospitals. But it relies on donor support to close funding gaps, invest in cutting-edge tools, and train tomorrow’s specialists.
Let’s Keep Crushing It. Together.
Your donation brings hope to people living with lung cancer. It fuels real progress — in labs, clinics, and patient lives.
Every dollar makes a difference.