Author: UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program

“Researchers looking for clues about why some types of cancer are on the rise in younger adults say they’ve found an interesting lead: a connection to accelerated biological aging.

Aging is the major risk for many types of cancer, meaning the older you get, the more likely you are to be diagnosed. And increasingly, experts recognize that age is more than just the number of candles on a birthday cake. It’s also the wear and tear on the body, caused by lifestyle, stress and genetics, which is sometimes referred to as a person’s biological age.

‘We all know cancer is an aging disease. However, it is really coming to a younger population. So whether we can use the well-developed concept of biological aging to apply that to the younger generation is a really untouched area,’ said Dr. Yin Cao, an associate professor of surgery at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and senior author of the new research, which was presented Sunday at the American Association of Cancer Research’s annual conference in San Diego.”

More on Accelerated aging linked to cancer risk in younger adults, research shows via CNN.

Please note that we are currently offering Group Services in a hybrid model of both in person and virtual depending on the needs of the group. 

If your program is interested in having a Resident Wellness Counsellor provide one of our group sessions, you can contact us via e-mail at resident.wellness@ubc.ca to submit a request, or click the ‘Book Now’ button below. These group sessions are most commonly booked during an academic day, allowing for most residents to attend. The sessions are approximately 1-1.5 hours in length via Zoom or in person. We ask that you try to provide two months notice to allow us to schedule accordingly. A reminder that for those at distributed sites, the following workshops/groups can be provided during one of the Resident Wellness Counsellor’s site visits. To ensure the quality of the workshop provided, all workshop requests for groups over 20 will require two counsellors to facilitate.

*Please note, our workshops and groups supports are experiential and sharing based in nature, and are intended for residents or fellows. To ensure a confidential and safe environment we ask that no one in an evaluative role be present, as well as any faculty or administrative staff. If this does not meet your vision for the workshop and you’d like to have faculty present please let us know and we will ensure that we tailor our workshop to accommodate this request.*

Learn more on the group support provided by the Faculty of Medicine’s Postgraduate Medical Education via UBC.

“If you’re one of the estimated more than six million Canadians who can’t find a family doctor, it might be because they’re focusing on specialty care, the results of a new report suggest. 

Nearly 30 per cent of Canada’s family physicians predominantly provide services outside of primary care, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)’s analysis of 2021 payment data, released Tuesday. 

That means they mainly perform services in specific areas, compared to typical primary care duties, like office visits and assessments that don’t require a referral. For example, a family doctor with a general surgery profile would focus on services like minor surgical procedures.

The main non-family medicine areas were emergency medicine (14 per cent), psychiatry (nearly five per cent) and general surgery (two per cent).

‘New trends in practice patterns reveal that many newer family physicians are less likely to engage in comprehensive and continuous family practice,’ the report’s authors wrote.”

More on Can’t find a family doctor? It might be because they’re busy doing other specialties, report finds via CBC.

Changes in practice patterns of family physicians in Canada report via Canadian Institute for Health Information

BC Centre for Palliative Care promotes a person-centred approach to care that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient and family preferences, needs, and values.

View and download our Serious Illness Conversation Brochure for Health Care Providers.

The Centre’s Serious Illness Conversation (SIC) Initiative aims to:

• Promote the use of the Serious Illness Conversation Guide and Program — developed by Ariadne Labs of Harvard Medical School — throughout health authorities in B.C.
• Support the education of health-care professionals on using the SIC Guide in their practice.
• Work with health authorities to integrate the SIC Guide into clinical practice for patients with a serious illness.
• Develop tools and resources in collaboration with Ariadne Labs.

To download The Serious Illness Conversation Guide, please click here.
Learn more about the artist Panteha Abareshi and Chronicling Illness via Art in America.

“Millions of Canadians are without a family doctor, and with long waits at ERs and walk-in clinics, many are wondering where they can get the care they need.

So how can people make sure their health is taken care of when they don’t have a regular primary care provider?

There isn’t one answer, as individual health needs are complex and can vary based on factors like age, family history and any existing chronic illnesses. The first tip is not to give up on finding a family physician, as many doctors agree that people should have a family doctor or primary care provider.

‘We need that continuity of care to make sure that you don’t get into trouble,’ Dr. Peter Lin, a family doctor in Toronto, and a director of the Canadian Heart Research Centre, told Dr. Brian Goldman on The Dose. 

‘Family doctors … primary care [providers], nurse practitioners … are really good at pattern recognition to try and figure out what’s going on and put the pieces together.'”

Without a family doctor? Physicians offer some short-term solutions via CBC.

There’s something special about the BC Rural Health Conference. It’s not just the knowledge you gain, but also the friendships you form. Embrace the excitement, the learning, and the camaraderie that makes this event so exceptional!

Join rural medicine peers on May 24-26 in Whistler, BC for an amazing line-up of speakers and topics. This year’s program is packed with opportunities to network and interact with individuals who can share and learn the unique benefits of rural practice. Highlights include: 

• Social and networking events to connect with rural peers, including locums  
• Interactive breakout sessions and hands-on skills workshops to discover current and emerging trends in rural medicine 
• Pre-conference courses include: The CARE Course Goes WILDE and the Rural POCUS Congress  
• Presentation of the BC Rural Health Awards on Friday afternoon  
• Wellness opportunities, including stretching and yoga sessions, complimentary chair massages, guided hikes and other excursions 
• Free (and fun) childcare during conference hours  

Register now! Discounted rates end March 31.  

Register at https://bit.ly/RHC24reg

Dr. Kerry S. Courneya
March 21 2024

Exercise is established as a supportive care intervention in oncology to improve health-related fitness, symptoms, and quality of life in cancer patients and survivors. Exercise has also been proposed as a possible cancer treatment; however, there are an infinite number of clinical oncology settings in which exercise may be tested as a cancer treatment. These distinct clinical oncology scenarios have implications for the treatment goals of exercise, the feasibility of exercise, the likelihood of exercise producing a clinical benefit, and the design of preclinical and clinical research. In this presentation, I will propose a novel framework to guide research on exercise as a cancer treatment across distinct clinical oncology settings. I will then summarize recent preclinical, observational, and intervention studies examining exercise as a cancer treatment across these different clinical scenarios and offer directions for future research.

Kerry S. Courneya, Ph.D. is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation at the University of Alberta. He received his B.A. (1987) and M.A. (1989) in Kinesiology from Western University in London, Ontario, and his Ph.D. (1992) in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He spent five years as an assistant professor at the University of Calgary (1992-1997) before moving to the University of Alberta in 1997. His research program focuses on the role of exercise after a cancer diagnosis including how exercise might help cancer patients prepare for treatments, tolerate and respond to treatments, recover after treatments, and improve treatment outcomes. He has received numerous awards for his research including the Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Health, the O. Harold Warwick Prize from the Canadian Cancer Society, and the Award of Research Excellence from the Canadian Association of Psycho-Oncology. In 2023, Prof. Courneya was appointed an Officer in the Order of Canada for his groundbreaking research in exercise oncology.

Location: UBC Life Sciences Building, Room 1001
Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Hybrid Zoom Meeting ID: 91067 093313, Passcode: 093313

We’re excited to announce that Okanagan Orchards is back, live and in-person on Saturday, June 1 at the Eldorado Resort in Kelowna! This is the annual Family Practice Postgraduate faculty development and appreciation event.

We will have a morning of workshops, followed by some options for outdoor activities in the afternoon and will wrap up with an appreciation dinner in the evening. It’s a great opportunity for some networking and support, and we have a lot of fun too!

A travel reimbursement will be available to eligible out-of-town preceptors (more details to come when registration opens this spring). There is no registration fee for this event.

There are a limited number of guest rooms held at the Eldorado Resort in Kelowna, so booking early is recommended. Book guest rooms directly with this link.  

This event is open to all preceptors and clinical faculty from across our beautiful province.

Stay tuned for further details, including an agenda and registration link.

Background

Colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer in adults in the United States. Early detection could prevent more than 90% of colorectal cancer–related deaths, yet more than one third of the screening-eligible population is not up to date with screening despite multiple available tests. A blood-based test has the potential to improve screening adherence, detect colorectal cancer earlier, and reduce colorectal cancer–related mortality.

Methods

We assessed the performance characteristics of a cell-free DNA (cfDNA) blood-based test in a population eligible for colorectal cancer screening. The coprimary outcomes were sensitivity for colorectal cancer and specificity for advanced neoplasia (colorectal cancer or advanced precancerous lesions) relative to screening colonoscopy. The secondary outcome was sensitivity to detect advanced precancerous lesions.

Results

The clinical validation cohort included 10,258 persons, 7861 of whom met eligibility criteria and were evaluable. A total of 83.1% of the participants with colorectal cancer detected by colonoscopy had a positive cfDNA test and 16.9% had a negative test, which indicates a sensitivity of the cfDNA test for detection of colorectal cancer of 83.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 72.2 to 90.3). Sensitivity for stage I, II, or III colorectal cancer was 87.5% (95% CI, 75.3 to 94.1), and sensitivity for advanced precancerous lesions was 13.2% (95% CI, 11.3 to 15.3). A total of 89.6% of the participants without any advanced colorectal neoplasia (colorectal cancer or advanced precancerous lesions) identified on colonoscopy had a negative cfDNA blood-based test, whereas 10.4% had a positive cfDNA blood-based test, which indicates a specificity for any advanced neoplasia of 89.6% (95% CI, 88.8 to 90.3). Specificity for negative colonoscopy (no colorectal cancer, advanced precancerous lesions, or nonadvanced precancerous lesions) was 89.9% (95% CI, 89.0 to 90.7).

Conclusions

In an average-risk screening population, this cfDNA blood-based test had 83% sensitivity for colorectal cancer, 90% specificity for advanced neoplasia, and 13% sensitivity for advanced precancerous lesions. (Funded by Guardant Health; ECLIPSE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04136002. opens in new tab.)

Learn more here on “A Cell-free DNA Blood-Based Test for Colorectal Cancer Screening” via The New England Journal of Medicine

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Dr. Connie Eaves, professor in UBC’s Department of Medical Genetics and the School of Biomedical Engineering, and a distinguished scientist at BC Cancer’s Terry Fox Laboratory.

A world authority on stem cells, Connie was an exceptional scientist, but she was also a leader, beloved mentor, and deeply-respected colleague and friend.

Her research career — spanning more than five decades — was driven by curiosity and an unwavering devotion to improving the lives of people with cancer.

Her discoveries advanced knowledge on the origin of leukemia and breast cancer, and her pioneering research methodologies — including developing a technique to separate cancerous from normal stem cells — have become gold standard approaches used by laboratories around the world.”

Read more on Remembering Dr. Connie Eaves, a pioneer in leukemia and breast cancer research via UBC Faculty of Medicine