Dick's work also sets the stage for manipulation of normal stem cells to treat cancer and other diseases. For example, it may soon be possible to insert a protective gene into stem cells, enabling them to withstand heavier doses of chemotherapy used to treat solid tumours. Dick is now trying to determine exactly how normal stem cells become abnormal by focussing on the actions of cancer-causing genes, also called oncogenes. He has been able to introduce these mutated genes into a normal stem cell and watch as the cell takes over abnormal blood cell production. Although cure rates for childhood leukemia have improved greatly, the cure rate remains relatively low for some types of leukemia.
Leukemia rates are high in Canada, as in other industrialized countries.
An estimated 3,500 Canadians will be diagnosed with leukemia this year and 2,100 people will die from the disease. Leukemia accounts for over 26 per cent of new cancer cases in children, and 32 per cent of deaths, making it the most common childhood cancer. His initial research brought knowledge from his own basic science work into the clinic using trials testing innovative treatment strategies. A groundbreaking study showed how smoking diminishes the effectiveness of radiation treatment in head and neck cancer. More recently, Browman has conducted research on transferring knowledge from clinical studies into routine patient care through evidence-based practice guidelines.