BC Cancer will wind down its temporary program that sent cancer patients to the United States for radiation therapy, citing significant improvements in provincial wait times and treatment capacity.
Since launching in May 2023, the program offered eligible patients the option to receive radiation treatment at two clinics in Bellingham, Wash., as a short-term solution to address delays in B.C.’s cancer care system. With significantly reduced wait times, the province says the initiative is no longer needed.
“As in-province capacity has improved, we can now safely wind down this temporary program and focus on delivering timely care here in B.C.,” said Health Minister Josie Osborne. “By hiring more specialists, upgrading hospitals, and investing in innovative treatments, we’re strengthening B.C.’s cancer care system for the long term.”
The program will officially end when contracts with the U.S. clinics expire on May 11 and May 31, 2025. As many as 1,107 B.C. patients received radiation therapy in the U.S. through the program. At its peak in fall 2023, up to 50 patients per week were treated across the border. Today, just nine patients remain scheduled to complete their therapy under the program.
In a press release, province said wait times for radiation therapy have seen marked improvement. As of February 2025, 93% of patients began treatment within four weeks—surpassing the national benchmark of 90%. This represents a 24-point increase from spring 2023, when only 69% of patients were treated within the specified timeframe.
With this progress, BC Cancer estimates that only 0.6% of the projected 16,900 patients requiring radiation treatment in 2025–26 would have needed to travel out of province—patients who can now be accommodated within B.C.
The phase-out coincides with broader efforts under the province’s 10-Year Cancer Action Plan, which includes expanding cancer services and new regional cancer centres in Nanaimo, Kamloops, Surrey, and Burnaby. These will join existing Abbotsford, Kelowna, Prince George, Surrey, Vancouver, and Victoria centres.
