Hey Everyone,
I am sure some members live in Canada. I am a dual citizen and wondering what the level of healthcare is in Canada and which province you live in?
My family is in Québec. I am well aware of the provincial services provided there.
Thanks
Hi - We don't live in Canada but my husband was treated by Dr. Akbar Khan @ Medicor Cancer Centre in Toronto in 2014 shortly after he was first diagnosed. medicorcancer.com/ We were living in the UK at the time. We paid out of pocket so I can't speak to what the national system there provides. Dr. Khan is great - we were so impressed with him - so knowledgeable and humble as well. We sometimes check in with him for a visit just to get his opinion on a new therapy we are considering because we know he will give us his honest opinion. It's the rare doctor that has no agenda but their patients' health.
I'm very impressed by Fred Saad at the U. of Montreal
If you have advanced PCa, one of the best provinces for treatment is British Columbia with Alberta probably a close second. The BC Cancer Agency is conducting some cutting edge clinical trials including Lutetium 177 and others involving the newer immunotherapy drugs. There is the BC Prostate Centre in Vancouver and five Cancer Centers spread around the province with some very knowledgeable radiation and medical oncologists. I certainly cannot complain about the treatment I have received over the past five years and eight months. They are watching me like a hawk with PSA tests nearly every month. When I was diagnosed my PSA was just under 1700 with extensive bone mets. Zoladex and Casodex brought it down to undetectable. When it started climbing in August of 2017, I was put on Xtandi and my PSA went down to undetectable again. It has been less than 0.008 for a year and a half. I am truly blessed but I have also been fortunate to have caring empathetic medical professionals. In my opinion, the overall standard of care in this province is outstanding!
Thanks a lot. BC is most preferable to me. Do you have provincial insurance and/or private insurance?
Hello,
I have provincial insurance and they pay for everything that combats the cancer i.e. Xtandi (enzalutamide) pills and Zoladex (goserelin) injections. Once every six months, I receive an injection of Prolia (denosumab) for bone strength. Since the Prolia does not actually combat the cancer, it is not paid for by the BC Cancer Agency. However, it is mostly paid for by my extended health plans. I have two, Green Shield Canada and Pacific Blue Cross. I believe there is a three month residency requirement before you qualify for provincial insurance.
Hey thank you very much. I assume the Cancer Centre is in Vancouver?
There are six regional cancer centres in the province. The biggest one is in Vancouver but there are also Cancer Agency Clinics in Surrey, Abbotsford, Kelowna, Prince George and Victoria.
Not sure about treatment for advanced PC cancer but my sister had breast cancer and was treated in Vancouver , BC. Cancer association . They were super knowledgeable and grea
Better hurry up... before we build a wall.....
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n Saturday 01/12/2019 11:46 AM EST
Funny guy... 
I am completely satisfied with my treatment in Alberta. The Kay center in Edmonton and the doctors there are wonderful. The Cross cancer institute and the U of A hospital are second to none in there treatment and care. I do realize the USA has cutting edge hospitals and probably attract most of the best doctors but we have some great ones as well.
I live in Ontario near Toronto and can say that I am very satisfied with the level of care that I am receiving here. The only complaint I might have is the amount of time that some of the doctors have to discuss the disease, side effects, etc. They are a busy lot. Phil
I am not as familiar with PCa treatment quality outside of Ontario. I can tell you, from my experience, that if your case is anything more than uncomplicated stage 1 or perhaps stage 2, you would do better to look elsewhere, outside Ontario. Much of the diagnostics and treatment here are as much as 30 years behind other jurisdictions, within and outside of Canada. You cannot get access to PET scans, advanced radio-tracer scans and accurate biopsies outside of clinical trials, as a result of the "standard of care" limitations. If you have advanced/metastatic PCa, you may lose valuable time because few, if any centres will give you the latest multi-modal treatments already in use elsewhere, despite several non-profit cancer advisory bodies which refer to the Stampede and other studies which very clearly promote early aggressive treatment for these cases. I called the "fast response" PCa line at Sunnybrook Hospital multiple times, and never heard back from them. My GP contacted their referral line and never got a response. I contacted the only Ontario MD who has a PET scanner, as a paying customer, and got no response after several attempts over several weeks, and neither did an oncologist who attempted the same on my behalf. These are just a few of the experiences that sealed my decision to seek treatment at Dattoli Cancer Centre in Florida.
Canada couldn't duplicate the technology found in the US and provide it at no charge to patients. I find the Doctors are booked solid with little time to breathe so having a junior diploma in Prostate Cancer Management provided by Healthunlocked.com is a great asset.
Overall, I'm quite pleased with the level of care that I've received but if I could afford it, I'd be travelling to the US to do BAT, Germany for LU-177, Mexico for some IV Laetrile, OK not that!
I would seriously consider relocating to Alberta or to BC, if I have indications of recurrence. May even do it anyway, since our provincial government is hell-bent on regressive policies and crony sweet dealings. There's usually a one year residency requirement before I could access provincial health programs when I move. I'm working on sweetening up my disposition.......way better to have a positive and constructive attitude in this game.
The care I received in Ottawa was excellent. I'm guessing that at any of the biggest 5 or 6 cities in Canada you'll receive excellent care. Given the rapid advances in prostate cancer treatment, it's good to get to a hospital that does active research.
I know there are some variations between provinces on what services are paid for. But overall I'd say it was world class.
I agree with the praise given to the BC Cancer Agency. I live on Vancouver Island and have received excellent care at the cancer agency in Victoria.
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