The Brain Metastases Clinic is dedicated to managing brain metastases. Cancer experts on your team work closely with you to ensure you get the best care possible.
Brain metastases are tumours that form in the brain when cancer cells spread there from another place in the body. For example, take a patient with lung cancer. If cancer cells spread to the brain from the lung(s), the tumours are known as brain metastases. Many types of cancer can spread to the brain. The most common cancers that spread to the brain include lung, breast, melanoma (skin), kidney, and colon cancers.
Andrée Rhéaume Fitzhenry was a vibrant woman who had diverse interests and was a talented landscape painter. She developed lung cancer in 2011. After what seemed like successful treatment, the lung cancer later metastasized to her brain and she passed away in 2013. Her husband Robert Fitzhenry and their family realized this was an area of care where they could make a difference. In honour of Andrée, they are supporting a comprehensive and patient-focused program in brain metastases.
The Fitzhenrys know that the impact of cancer on families is significant. They also know that hundreds of families are going through what they did. And, many of them live at a distance from The Princess Margaret. Increased research capacity, patient education tools, and support for brain metastases patients will help provide others a sense of hope.