This page provides information and links from Dr. Jonathan Irish about the RACH Fund and the research being performed through the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, with the monies raised through The RACH Fund.

April 2010 - The GTx Program at The Princess Margaret Hospital

Read Dr. Irish' most up-to-date Report

click here for this amazing report that explains the Overview, Mission, Updates & Future Plans of the GTx Program

...this is where our generous donations are making a difference!!

 

Read the message Dr. Irish sent to the Facebook Group page "SAVE the RACH" as the Municipality of MacDougall Township were contemplating changing a by-law which would have affected the annual RACH 3-Pitch Tournament held in Parry Sound each June:

First of all, just let me tell you and all the supporters of the RACH events how important the money raised is to our program.  This funding is part of the life blood of our skull base research program.

We have made incredible advances in our ability to access and destroy skull base cancers and tumours.  We have done this by marrying the technologies of robotics, image guidance and surgery.  The monies have supported the development of the technologies over the last 5 year and the RACH funding has supported engineers to develop the technology. 

Over the last 2 years the funding has partially supported a surgeon to do his Master's degree in developing simulator models for educating young surgeons and has allowed further testing of new technologies outside the operating room before introducing them safely to care of patients.  Although your community is a small one it has proven to have a big heart that is touching communities throughout the province and, in fact, throughout the world.  I expect that is not a common feat but the RACH Fund and its supporters can be proud that it has started a program that is competing with the rest of the world. 

Hopefully, your community and it's leaders will understand the enormous effect that this funding has and not create a situation that will jeopardize the success of the RACH fundraising events.

Jon Irish

Jonathan C Irish MD MSc FRCSC FACS

Provincial Head, Surgical Oncology, Cancer Care Ontario

The Kevin and Sandra Sullivan Chair in Surgical Oncology, University of Toronto

 

Dr. Jonathan Irish

Presented to over 300 tournament participants at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 20th, 2009 at the Kinsmen Park

We learned about how your Support and Contributions to the RACH Fund are making a difference in Cancer Research!

All profits and donations contributed go  towards the research into Image-guided therapeutics, or GTx.  Dr. Jonathon Irish has commented that image guided surgery will save lives.  GTx integrates imaging technologies to provide a kind of GPS for cancer surgeons where surgical tools, and the surgical target and surrounding anatomy are visualized precisely in “real time” three-dimensional images.  The surgeon can accurately pinpoint cancer cells and tumours and then remove them without harming the surrounding  structures or healthy tissue.  Patients will benefit from faster recovery times and enhanced quality of life during and after treatment.  Image guided therapeutics is the future in the fight against cancer.  The R.A.C.H. fund has contributed $300,000 towards this study.

 For more information on GTx research please read:  http://www.pmhfspotlight.ca/Pages/GTx/ or click here

 

 

Dr. Jonathan Irish has recognized the RACH Fund and the committment to raise funds for research on Esthesioneuroblastoma as he indicates, as follows:

"Esthesioneuroblastoma: The Princess Margaret Hospital Experience.  This is one of the largest single institution experiences that has been reported in the world. This research was made possible by the kind and generous support from the baseball tournament fundraiser.  We continue to move forward on the "GTx Program" which the RACH funding has also supported and we continue to have exciting new research discoveries in this area.  The RACH Fund is also supporting research with a MSc-MD Fellow into minimal access surgery approaches and partially funding some basic science work in esthesioneuroblastoma with one of our pathologists.

 

Your support through the RACH Fund has been invaluable.  The RACH Fund is acknowledged on page 1 and also at the end of the manuscript.  The journal 'Head and Neck' is the most prestigous head and neck cancer in the world so you should feel very proud of the fundraising efforts that you have done on behalf of this research and the impact that it has made for future patients."

 

PMHF News from Dr. Jonathan Irish, Head of Surgical Oncology for The Princess Margaret, says that the “new technology is providing today’s surgeon with vastly superior vision of a patient and their condition, which leads directly to more successful outcomes.”

 “While the new technology is beneficial for all surgeons,” continues Dr. Irish, “it is particularly advantageous for new surgeons who haven’t had 20 years to develop their ‘sixth sense’ about the positioning of each artery and nerve.” This kind of technology will reduce surgical complications and give young surgeons more confidence.”