Photo: Michael Potestio

When built, the Kamloops cancer centre will be the only one of 10 in the province in which radiation and chemotherapy services are located in separate buildings.

Kamloops’ new cancer centre will be the only one of its kind in the province to have chemotherapy and radiation services located in separate buildings.

Meanwhile, the head of radiation oncology at BC Cancer Kelowna says that shouldn't pose much of a hindrance.

According to the BC Cancer Foundation, none of the province's existing cancer facilities or the three others being built have separate buildings for chemotherapy and radiation therapy services.

The reason for this separation at the Kamloops facility is due to the location earmarked for construction on the Royal Inland Hospital campus. The site has limited available space, and the facility design prioritizes bringing radiation therapy services to Kamloops as quickly as possible.

The BC Cancer Centre in Kamloops is expected to open in 2028. The facility is currently in the request for proposals stage, with a design-build team expected to be chosen in May. Construction is slated to begin this summer.

The Thompson Regional Hospital District has called for the building to be built as an all-in-one facility. The TRHD chair, Kamloops Coun. Mike O’Reilly, is meeting with new Minister of Health Josie Osbourne to make that request, which was opposed by her predecessor Adrian Dix.

Dix previously told Castanet Kamloops the health ministry wasn’t considering altering the plans for the Kamloops cancer centre as the changes would be too costly and push completion timelines off by years — as late as 2032.

B.C. currently has six cancer centres, located in Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, Abbotsford and Surrey. Kamloops is one of four new facilities being built under the province’s 10-year cancer plan. Those other centres will be built in Nanaimo, Burnaby and Surrey.

'Small but significant' numbers need both

Dr. David Kim, Head of Radiation Oncology at BC Cancer Kelowna, will be involved with staffing the Kamloops cancer centre. He said having the two services in one building doesn't make a big difference.

Kim estimated about 20 per cent of the patients seen at any BC Cancer facility in the province require both chemotherapy and radiation during the course of the same treatment, and sessions are typically separated by a few hours.

“There is a small but significant portion of patients that do require both treatments,” Kim said.

“Even though the two services are in two separate buildings, they're still on the same campus and that allows enough time and coordination where that physical separation shouldn't impact care to a significant extent.”

The new facility also will not have a pharmacy, however, Kim said, radiation doesn’t typically require much in the way of pharmaceutical services, and medications typically prescribed can be picked up at a community pharmacy.

“Not having the two [a radiation department and a pharmacy] in the same building is quite appropriate,” Kim said. “Not having a hospital pharmacy service within the building shouldn't interfere with radiation treatment delivery.”

Staffing still to be determined

O’Reilly also intends to discuss how communication and patient records sharing will work between the two services once a radiation treatment centre is operational.

Kim noted some chemotherapy in Kamloops is conducted by Interior Health doctors in IH buildings, but the staff at the RIH chemotherapy department are BC Cancer employees.

“Right now, one of our challenges is to ensure that people who work with us, but outside our system have access to our information system," Kim said.

“Unfortunately, that is still a work in progress. We have a current information system that works well, but that's going to be upgraded, and how to do the upgrading safely and seamlessly we're planning and working on.”

Kim noted while the Kamloops cancer centre will have its own doctors, the initial plan is for staffing to be directed from the Kelowna cancer centre.

“There will be funding for staffing earmarked, and we'll have to recruit to those positions,” Kim said.

The Kamloops facility should employ about six to nine oncologists.

Kim said the amount of staff who will work at the new cancer centre hasn’t been determined yet, but they typically hire up to three radiation oncologists per machine, and there are three of those going into the Kamloops facility.

“But those specific calculations aren't firmed up yet,” Kim said.

Specialized treatment not available

Once open, the radiation therapy centre will provide Kamloops area residents with the most common form of treatment known as beam radiation therapy. The more technically precise stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) should also be available at the Kamloops cancer centre.

“The treatment machines planned for Kamloops should be able to deliver the bulk of the radiation therapy that's available elsewhere here in B.C.,” Kim said.

However, Kim said, the more specialized treatment such as brachytherapy will not be available in Kamloops.

He said brachytherapy is a specialized form of radiation therapy requiring insertion of radioactive sources within a patient's body. Kamloops-area patients will still need to travel to Kelowna for this service as it requires “extra supports” not anticipated from Kamloops, like doctors with specialized training, an anesthesia team and operating and recovery rooms.

Kim said brachytherapy is the best method to treat gynaecological cancers, but the vast majority of other cancers can be treated through beam radiation therapy that will be available in Kamloops.

“If enough time goes by and there's enough of demand, enough growth, I suppose something like that can be looked at [in Kamloops],” Kim said.

He noted it’s too specialized of a skill to have in Kamloops at the moment.

“It's better to have a smaller group concentrated to do a lot of those who get really good at it, then have a bunch of people in different places who do them occasionally,” Kim said.

Three years to build

The current design of the proposed $359-million Kamloops cancer centre calls for a five-storey facility in a lot adjacent to Royal Inland Hospital, immediately south of St. Ann's Academy. It will house a radiation department on the first two floors, with three floors of parking above.

The chemotherapy department, meanwhile, will be relocated to be closer to the pharmacy in RIH. The new building is expected to be ready in 2028 and the renovations to RIH will be complete by 2029.

Upgrades to RIH includes updating and expanding the pharmacy, and the relocation and expansion of the Community Oncology Network clinic from the eighth floor to the main floor with more space and improved access.