Although the general quality of life has continued to increase in the industrialized countries over the past several generations, the affliction of cancer remains. Despite efforts toward early detection, lifestyle modification, public awareness, and billions of dollars in research funding, there persists a steady lifetime risk of cancer of approximately 10% for most populations in the developed world.

Great strides have been made in diagnosing and treating cancers, and treatments for cancer have become ever more humane. However, amongst the most common cancers – breast, prostate, colon, and lung -- there exists a subset of tumors that are destined to become debilitating and life-threatening, no matter how early the detection or how powerful the treatment.These cancers show a propensity for metastacizing to the skeleton,  where they grow prolifically, eventually leading to the death of the patient following the painful deterioration of the bones.

Dr. Haakon Ragde

Because the interior of the bone is a most inhospitable environment for the growth of cell lines derived from soft tissues, it is hypothesized that some series of factors – manufactured by the tumor cell and the bone marrow or matrix – exists that facilitate the growth of tumor cells in the bone. In order to identify this series of factors, it is necessary to undertake numerous scientific experiments, beginning in cell cultures and extending to studies of animals and, ultimately, humans.

Although deaths from metastatic bone cancer are estimated to number on the order of 70,000 per year, awareness of bone cancer and programs dedicated to eradicating it are few. The Haakon Ragde Foundation for Advanced Cancer Studies has taken as its mission the fight against metastatic bone cancer. The Foundation seeks to execute its mission by identifying the leaders in understanding this disease and aiding in underwriting the cost of pursuing an investigation into the genesis of this state and possible treatments for it.

The Foundation is led by Dr. Haakon Ragde, a urologist from Seattle, Washington, USA. Dr. Ragde introduced the ultrasound-guided radioactive seed implantation (brachytherapy) procedure to the United States in the treatment of prostate cancer. Since this introduction, brachytherapy has emerged as a highly effective treatment that offers superior quality of life retention to patients who select it. Dr. Ragde has selected the fight against metastatic bone cancer as the next stage of his esteemed career, after watching it claim so many of his patients.