Lamia Kalfane joined us in March 2023 as Medical Director, CNS Cancers, Novocure Canada. She’s determined to dedicate the remainder of her career to making the most significant difference possible in the lives of cancer patients.
A clinical pharmacist with broad expertise in the pharmaceutical industry, Lamia had returned to Canada from the United States to help care for her father a decade earlier, following his cancer diagnosis. She’d gained a whole new perspective on the difficult emotions and overwhelming challenges patients and caregivers face following a cancer diagnosis, especially when treatment options are limited.
In Novocure and our innovative Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) therapy, Lamia found the ambitious, mission-driven opportunity she was seeking. The concept of alternating electric fields that exert physical forces to kill cancer cells intrigued her. She learned more about the therapy’s mechanisms of action and appreciated the conviction of medical and clinical experts most familiar with the relevant scientific data.
Lamia was also struck by our focus on extending survival in some of the most aggressive forms of cancer, such as glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and difficult-to-treat type of primary brain cancer. Each year in Canada, 1,600 people are diagnosed with GBM.
“I have maybe 20 years left in my career, and I know that this is where I am able to make the greatest difference,” she said. “I personally believe this platform is going to be a paradigm shift in cancer care. So, my work has meaning — it has an impact on care in Canada and around the world.”
In her role, Lamia seeks to enhance awareness and scientific understanding of TTFields therapy and its mechanisms of action within the medical community. She also promotes institutional participation in sponsored clinical trials, which provide essential data on the safety and efficacy of TTFields therapy when used with other treatments for various solid tumor cancers.
Additionally, she collaborates with medical education partners across Canada to ensure patients receive the information they need to make informed treatment decisions and, if prescribed Optune, to use it effectively.
“It does take a motivated patient to commit to this therapy,” she said. “It’s a new modality, and a big change for both the physician and patient communities. But once we get to the science — the how and why it works, and the lack of systemic side effects — we find that to be very persuasive.”
our history
The story of Novocure begins with our founder Prof. Yoram Palti. In the year 2000, he discovered the effects of Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) on cancer cells. Go on a journey through time and experience milestones in the history of Novocure, from the beginning to the present day.
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