The prominent rise and success in mammographic screening programs in recent decades has led to increased detection of small, early stage breast carcinomas. Breast conservation surgery (BCS) combined with adjuvant radiotherapy and systemic therapy has proven to be an effective treatment for these tumors. For elderly patients, in whom many of these early stage cancers are diagnosed, pre-existing comorbidities and higher risks of complications can be contraindications to surgical resection. As an alternative to BCS, there is interest in developing less radical therapeutic alternatives that are efficacious and cost-effective.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Claire McCann is a board certified medical physicist and the Medical Director of Clinical Research at the Odette Cancer Centre. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A.Sc. in 2000 from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. She completed her Master’s degree with the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Clinical Engineering Program in 2002 and her Ph.D. in 2007 from the University of Toronto, Department of Medical Biophysics. Dr. McCann completed a medical physics residency program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre with the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto in 2009. Dr. McCann has research interests in developing novel image guided, minimally invasive, ablative techniques including thermal ablation and hyperthermia for radio sensitization, as well as treatment planning platforms for thermal therapy applications. She has been actively involved in phase I clinical trials testing a novel radiofrequency ablation device was designed and developed during her PhD program. Her goal is to merge traditional clinical research with novel emerging technologies and techniques in a multidisciplinary setting.