Understanding the body and disease process Cancer

Cancer is a group of diseases that involves abnormal growth of cells in potentially every part of our bodies. Some cancers are serious while others can easily be cured.  Survival rates of many types of cancers continue to improve, thanks to early detection, and timely, high quality management.

Doctor and patient Research
  1. 1951

    World’s first non-commercial cobalt-60 therapy unit went into operation at the University of Saskatchewan

  2. 1951

    The December 15th issue of Nature contained the first formal publication with the details of cobalt therapy

  3. 1953

    Harold Johns' influential textbook, The Physics of Radiology, was published.

  4. 1954

    Dr. Charles Beer joined Noble’s research team

  5. 1958

    Beer and Nobel successfully isolated “vinblastine”

  6. 1960

  7. 1965

    Along with Samuel Freedman, a noted allergist and immunologist, Dr. Phil Gold published the ground-breaking discovery of CEA

  8. 1970

  9. 1976

    Dr. Gold established and became the inaugural director of the McGill Cancer Centre

  10. 1980

  11. 1990

  12. 2000

  13. 2003

    Bernard Langer - Cancer care champion

  14. 2004

    Tak Wah Mak became Director of the Campbell Family for Breast Cancer Research Institute at the Princess Margaret Hospital

  15. 2009

    Marco Marra and his team became the first to publish a genomic study of breast cancer and its metastasis

  16. 2010

  17. 2012

    The Personalized Oncogenomics (POG) project at BC Cancer was established under Marco Marra’s leadership

  18. 2020

About the CMHF

The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) celebrates Canadian heroes whose work advances health in Canada and the world, fostering future generations of health professionals through the delivery of local and national youth education programs and awards.

This enduring tribute to our country’s rich medical history is showcased here and in our physical exhibit hall in London, ON.