FAQs
- Radiation therapy planning and delivery
- Systemic therapy (e.g., chemotherapy and immunotherapy)
- Oncology ambulatory care unit (OACU)
- Supportive care
- The current radiation therapy capacity at BC Cancer – Kelowna is insufficient to meet the projected need for radiation oncology services in the region.
- Kamloops cancer patients currently receive radiation therapy treatment at BC Cancer – Kelowna. Approximately 50% of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy treatment.
- It is a high priority to provide radiation services to this community as early as possible.
- When the hospital CON is at capacity, patients either wait longer than recommended or commute to Kelowna, Prince George, or Vancouver. These are barriers to some people due to travel time and expense and ideally, we want to provide cancer care closer to home where possible.
What are the timelines for the project?
EllisDon Corporation has been selected to build the new BC Cancer centre at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.
Interior Health and BC Cancer choose the project's design-build team in May 2025. Construction begins Fall 2025. The Kamloops cancer centre is anticipated to open in 2028.
What is the cost of the project?
The project budget is approximately $386 million, shared between the provincial government, Interior Health and Thompson Regional Hospital District.
What is the difference between the Kamloops Cancer Centre and the BC Cancer – Kelowna?
Both sites have the following service delivery areas:
Both sites will provide curative and palliative treatment for patients and have capacity to participate in clinical trials and/or research.
BC Cancer – Kelowna also has the capacity to provide more specialized regional services, such as gynecological and prostate brachytherapy, and molecular imaging and therapy (MIT) that uses a PET/CT.
Will there be a PET/CT Scanner like there is in Kelowna – and if not, why?
The new BC Cancer Centre in Kamloops will be fully connected to B.C.’s cancer care network.
While the new centre won’t have a PET/CT scanner at launch, patients will continue to access this service at one of BC Cancer’s existing PET/CT units in Kelowna, Vancouver, or Victoria.
PET/CT placement is based on clinical demand, population needs, and specialized staffing, and will be reassessed as needs evolve.
The scope and floor plate of the new BC Cancer centre did not include the space required for PET/CT. The space that was dedicated was earmarked to fulfill an urgent and critical need for an additional MRI at Royal Inland Hospital to support increased MRI capacity.
BC Cancer is working on expanding PET/CT operating hours provincially to increase the scans per day as much as possible, maximizing the utilization of existing PET/CT scanners.
We recognize the stress that travel puts on patients and families undergoing cancer treatment and are working to bring cancer treatment close to home for families in Kamloops and the surrounding region.
Unfortunately, in a province as large as BC with many people living in rural and remote areas, there will always be a need for some patients to travel for care, whether that is to see a specialist, to be part of a clinical trial or for leading-edge medical imaging, such as a PET/CT scan.
Travel support is available to help patients access nearby PET/CT and specialized cancer services across the province. BC Cancer care teams can connect patients with various travel programs available. This includes support for travel and accommodation that partners such as Hope Air and the Canadian Cancer Society.
Additionally, the BC Cancer Foundation offers the Beyond Barriers Patient Relief Fund, providing financial, travel and resource support to patients across the province.
Why aren’t we building a comprehensive cancer centre in Kamloops?
We need to address the immediate need for radiation therapy in the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap Health Service Delivery Area with the Kamloops Cancer Centre project.
BC Cancer – Kelowna is currently the only treatment location for patients requiring outpatient radiation oncology services in Interior Health.
Current systemic therapy (chemotherapy) capacity at the Royal Inland Hospital Community Oncology Network (CON) doesn’t meet current and projected demands for service. The current CON has limited space to expand, and the layout is not efficient.
Several options were explored to see what the best option would be to bring radiation therapy services to the region in the fastest and most cost-efficient way possible.
We explored the option of a comprehensive cancer centre, however, after evaluating the timeline and cost, it was decided that a comprehensive cancer centre would not be the recommended option to best meet the more immediate need for radiation therapy services in the region, as it would result in longer construction timeline and delayed date of opening the centre.
While the Kamloops Cancer Centre may not offer all required cancer services, it represents the best current solution to meet the increasing demand for radiation therapy services in the area, for patients who currently have to travel to Kelowna or another BC Cancer regional centre for this component of their cancer care.
Will Kamloops Cancer Centre offer radiation treatment?
Yes. The Kamloops Cancer Centre will bring radiation treatment closer to home for patients and families.
Radiation treatment will include shielded treatment rooms (bunkers) with high-energy radiation treatment linear accelerators (LINACS), and radiation therapy planning.
Kamloops Cancer Centre will be designed to ensure that it meets the needs of the public and adheres to the radiation safety requirements for patients, staff and the surrounding community.