Every three and a half hours, another woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Canada. In B.C, more than 300 women will be diagnosed with a form of ovarian cancer this year.

In the winter of 2014, this statistic included West VancouverB次元官网网址檚 Candy Woodworth.

At her weekly Pilates class, Candy noticed she felt uncomfortable when doing a routine exercise. She went back to the class a week later, and noticed the same pain in her stomach and immediately made an appointment with her family doctor, who sent her for an urgent ultrasound.

B次元官网网址淚 hardly had my coat off when the phone rang and my doctor told me I had to come back immediately,B次元官网网址� Candy says. B次元官网网址淢y husband and I both went back, and it was then we found out I had ovarian cancer.B次元官网网址�

In March of 2015, CandyB次元官网网址檚 treatment plan began with surgery, where her tumour was removed, followed by 18 rounds of chemotherapy.

A year later, at one of CandyB次元官网网址檚 routine check-ups, her team discovered her cancer had returned, this time in her colon.

B次元官网网址淢y feelings at that point in time were still very positive B次元官网网址� just get the job done, and thatB次元官网网址檚 exactly how my team at BC Cancer approached it,B次元官网网址� says Candy. She went in for surgery a second time.

Six months later, CandyB次元官网网址檚 cancer returned again, in the exact same place in her colon. B次元官网网址淚t was very unusual for it to return to the exact same place,B次元官网网址� says Candy.

She underwent her third surgery.

With her cancer at an aggressive state, Candy was put forward as a prime candidate for an innovative, personalized cancer program at BC Cancer. She was put in touch with Dr. Anna Tinker, Provincial Gyne Oncology Tumour Group Chair and medical oncologist at BC Cancer.

The personalized onco-genomics (POG) program is BC CancerB次元官网网址檚 flagship study in precision medicine and the first program of its kind to use whole genome analysis to inform individual treatment planning for patients.

Through this program, Dr. Tinker and team found that CandyB次元官网网址檚 tumour had a mutant BRCA gene, even though Candy herself did not carry the gene, and was able to match the tumour mutation to a clinical trial drug.

ItB次元官网网址檚 been two and a half years and Candy has been cancer-free since she began her journey on the POG program and started her tailored medication.

B次元官网网址淭he POG program and the fact they found a drug for me has given me my life back,B次元官网网址� says Candy. B次元官网网址淚t means everything B次元官网网址� I now get the opportunity to be with my family and watch my grandchildren grow.B次元官网网址�

You can help support the life-saving Personalized Onco-genomics program at BC Cancer by visiting: