BRCA Symposium 2018

Today's sessions were bursting at the seams with intriguing findings and thought-provoking discussions. The day consisted of four sessions, covering HBOC prevention, treatment of BRCA breast cancer, relevant challenges in genetic counselling, and a special interest group (SIG) to end off the day. I attended the SIG on next generation tumor sequencing, where a lively discussion on ethical and clinical challenges was sparked. Also, throughout the conference I have picked up a number of information sheets, some of which are pictured below. These will make for some interesting reading on the plane ride home! The first talk of the day was by Dr. Joanne Kotsopoulos from Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Kotsopoulos discussed evidence for the RANK signalling pathway and progesterone's involvement in breast cancer in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Current breast cancer prevention guidelines for carriers focus primarily on increased screening and preventative surgery. However, investigating pathway

Today we dove head first into all things HBOC! The majority of the day was spent hearing lectures from genetics experts and presentations of proffered papers. The day was divided into four sessions, covering everything from classification of BRCA variants, molecular genetics of HBOC, DNA repair in the clinic, and global perspectives on HBOC. During lunchtime I attended a session sponsored by HeritX, an organisation with the aim of developing and promoting non-surgical treatments for HBOC.    For some reason, I manage to always match my posters. I didn't plan it, I promise! I had two nurses from Hong Kong stop by, a geneticist from Denmark and two from Switzerland, an oncologist from the US, and a few genetic counselors from Canadian provinces and US states. We had some thought-provoking discussions, and it was amazing to link what we have been doing in BC with what other clinics around the world are up to. For example, the two geneticists from Switzerland were very excited to s

Today marked the beginning of the conference! However, since the conference began in the evening I had the daytime free to explore more of Montreal. I met my friend Elena (who I used to volunteer with at a hospital back home) for coffee. She is currently a nursing student at McGill, and it was so cool to hear about her experience at McGill so far and to catch up after a few years. After we filled up on coffee, we headed north to explore the Mont-Royal! After climbing up the steep road towards the park, I looked back and saw this beautiful scene. Many of the buildings at the base of the park are McGill offices, classrooms, or student residences. According to Elena, McGill is quite spread out, which makes having classes in different buildings quite the challenge to get to (especially if it requires an uphill walk to get to class!)   And the stairs have begun! This part of the walk reminded me of the Grouse Grind in Vancouver. This walk, however, was a lot shorter than the Grouse

Today was an exciting and full day in Old Montreal! With my trusty map in hand I spent the day walking around this beautiful part of Montreal and made a few stops along the way... My first stop was Crew Collective & Cafe for a tea. The building that houses this cafe used to be a bank, which now means that you can sip your coffee beneath elaborate ceilings and stone arches. It was easy to tell who were the tourists and who were the locals - the tourists (including myself) could hardly stop looking at the ceiling, while the locals had their heads buried in books and computers. It was a really lovely place to sit and write. Here is the table where I made myself at home. Tea, notebook, and camera equals my happy place!  This was the view of the ceiling from my seat in the cafe. Out of all the coffee shops I have ever been to, this certainly is the grandest! My next stop was one of the highlights of my time in Old Montreal, the Notre Dame Basilica. I was fortunate enough t

My day started bright and early at 3:30 am, as I made my way to the airport to begin the journey to Montreal! I was incredibly fortunate to sit next to the loveliest lady for my first flight whose daughter wants to go to medical school. We talked the entire flight, which certainly made it more enjoyable and feel much shorter. During my connecting flight I sat next to a professional double bass player who performs all over Canada! He told me all about the "jazz scene" in Montreal, and encouraged me to check out a restaurant called  Upstairs  that has live jazz concerts. I may not have the time to squeeze it in this trip, but dinner + jazz music sounds like a great combo! Once I settled into my hotel, I took a walk around downtown Montreal. Coincidentally, I ran into a girl that I used to volunteer with who now attends McGill! It was a lovely surprise. While exploring Downtown Montreal, I stumbled across an Indigo bookstore. Although we have Indigo stores back in BC, this par

Hello, reader! Tomorrow is a very exciting day. I will be travelling to Montreal, Quebec, for the 7th International Symposium on Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC). This meeting brings together students and healthcare professionals from across the globe, all with the aim of sharing current research on HBOC. The schedule is jam-packed with talks from world-class researchers and physicians, so needless to say, I am excited!  I will be exploring Montreal for my first two days, and then jumping full swing into conference mode on May 8th. My itinerary is long - there are lots of "must do's" in Montreal - so I will see how much of it I'll be able to get through. I've been told that walking through Old Montreal is like strolling through an architecturally beautiful European town, with quaint shops, plenty of cafes and jaw-dropping historical buildings. Stay tuned for daily updates here! ~ Vivienne