History of the Southern Alberta Children’s Cancer Program: The story of kids’ cancer care in Calgary and Southern Alberta over the past 60 years

Research efforts to discover cancer therapies for kids dates back to the end of World War II after many experiments with mustard gas and nitrogen mustards. In 1947, Dr. Sydney Farber’s group published a paper on the effects of a folic acid antagonist, inducing remission in children with leukemia. Reception of this report in the medical community was unenthusiastic! Most malignant tumours and leukemia were uniformly fatal at that time. Research scientists were not discouraged, however, and with perseverance, successful therapies followed.

Our story traces back to the early days in the organization of cancer services for children in Alberta. This includes the contributions of the many medical nursing and paramedical personnel involved in developing the program for children’s cancer services for Calgary and Southern Alberta.

Our pediatric oncology clinic is a success story and is improving the survival rates and quality of life for patients. I regret the fact many of the pioneers who helped us in the early years have passed on. They were so helpful in maintaining the continuity of care and the establishment of ongoing progress in improving results in those early years.