Storylines

Unapproved: the brain cancer treatment that's not available in Canada

Storylines

Show Notes

The federal government estimates that on average 27 people a day in this country are diagnosed with brain tumours. Among the most aggressive is Glioblastoma (GBM). According to Brain Cancer Canada, people with GBM have a life expectancy of 15-18 months. So when David Cormican was told that his father’s tumor was the “size of a baseball” the family started looking for something—anything—that would extend Michael’s life. That’s how they joined the thousands of Canadian families who go abroad, paying enormous sums out of pocket, for treatments they can’t get at home.

On this week's Storylines, Mykella Van Cooten follows Michael Cormican’s fight to become the first Canadian to get a life-extending brain cancer treatment administered in Canada, even though it’s not yet approved here.

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