If each Canadian province could lower its population’s smoking rate to below 20 per cent, what might be the impact on the incidence of lung cancer across the country? How much might potential treatment and associated economic costs of lung cancer go down? How do we compare the projected results of a dollar invested in smoking cessation with the results of a dollar invested in a new cancer therapy? 

These are the kinds of questions that Canada’s health planners, policy analysts, health economists, biostatisticians, epidemiologists and cancer researchers grapple with daily. The Partnership’s newly developed Cancer Risk Management Model, a comprehensive web-based decision support tool, is now available to help calculate the answers to these and many other questions. 

Developed collaboratively by a team of Statistics Canada specialists, Canadian cancer leaders and software experts, the Cancer Risk Management Model uses computer simulations to project how key cancer control initiatives might play out in practice. Projections could include the impact on the number of cancers, mortality rates by cancer site, life expectancy, deaths averted and health-adjusted life expectancy. The model draws on a broad range of the latest evidence related to the incidence and progression of, and deaths from, cancers in Canada. The Cancer Risk Management Model can also provide projections of the economic effects of cancer control on patients’ lives, the health-care system and government finances. 

“This tool provides health planners from across the country with a single framework for testing a variety of cancer control scenarios to quickly generate the type of information they need to make policy decisions,” says Andy Coldman, Vice-President of Population Oncology at the BC Cancer Agency. “These decisions have the potential to improve population health and reduce the economic costs of cancer.” 

Although designed for direct and easy use by cancer control and other health-related decision-makers, the Cancer Risk Management Model can be a useful tool to help researchers to examine complex research questions. 

The platform initially focused on lung and colorectal cancer, which are the leading cause of cancer deaths for Canadian men and women. The model was later expanded to include lung cancer screening using low-dose computer tomography and cervical cancer control with HPV vaccination and screening. Plans are underway to add breast cancer in late 2012 and will continually be explanded to conduct comprehensive analysis of the impacts on all cancers. 

“The Partnership is leading development of the Cancer Risk Management Model platform as part of its mandate to drive system-wide improvements through the synthesis and dissemination of best-available information,” says Janey Shin, a member of the development team and the Partnership’s Director of Analytics and Surveillance. “The tool aims to measure the long-term impacts of the coordinated efforts of Canada’s cancer control strategy and to establish a sound basis for ongoing system-wide improvements in this area.” 

For more information, please visit www.cancerview.ca/cancerriskmanagement.

In honour of World Cancer Day, the orange and blue of the Union for International Cancer Control shone all night on the CN Tower in Toronto. Photo courtesy of: Michael Leckman

The Partnership is pleased to have been instrumental in working with the CN Tower to light up a favourite Canadian landmark to recognize and support an important day for international cancer control: World Cancer Day.  On February 4, the CN Tower in Toronto was lit in blue and orange to mark this day and raise awareness of how Canada is helping to reduce the burden of cancer. World Cancer Day is observed annually by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and 400 member organizations worldwide including the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. Canadians can show their support for the day by signing the World Cancer Declaration. The UICC’s World Cancer Congress comes to Canada for the first time in August 2012 in Montreal.

New survey results released to mark World Cancer Day 2012 (February 4^th) suggest that awareness initiatives to promote colon cancer screening are working. Half (50 per cent) of Canadians age 50 to 74 polled have been screened for colon cancer, showing a Canada-wide increase when compared to similar data captured in 2009.  However more than half (53 per cent) of those polled incorrectly believe that people should only get checked after experiencing symptoms. An estimated 22,200 Canadians were diagnosed with colon cancer in 2011 and 8,900 people died of it.

“Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Canada, but it is also highly treatable if detected early through screening,” says the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, federal Minster of Health. “This trend towards improved colon cancer screening is therefore extremely encouraging, and exemplifies why our government funded the implementation of a national cancer strategy through the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. More than ever cancer care organizations, healthcare providers and other stakeholders from across the country are working together on shared goals for the benefit of more Canadians.”

Commissioned by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and its National Colorectal Cancer Screening Network, the Colon Cancer Screening in Canada survey polled 4,050 Canadians aged 45 to 74 years old on their understanding and attitudes towards getting checked for colon cancer. Conducted by Ipsos Reid, the survey builds on results from a related survey conducted in 2009. The survey is part of the nationwide ‘Colonversation’ campaign, which launched in 2010 and features colonversation.ca, an online resource to help all Canadians learn more about the importance of colon cancer screening.

“Screening programs are now in place across the country and great work is being done to encourage Canadians to talk with their family, friends and health care providers about colon cancer and the importance of screening,” says Dr. Heather Bryant, Vice-President, Cancer Control, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. “Most importantly there has been an improvement in screening rates over the last two years. But there is still much to be done. Colon cancer screening still needs to become a regular part of people’s health routine for people age 50 and older.”

Colon Cancer Screening in Canada Survey Highlights
The percentage of Canadians who say they have been checked for colon cancer has increased: 

• Half of Canadians age 50 to 74 are up-to-date with their colon cancer screening tests (FOBT and colonoscopy), which is within the past two years for fecal (stool) tests (FOBT/FIT) and past five years for colonoscopy – 50 per cent, compared to 44 per cent in 2009.

Many Canadians are making the mistake of waiting for symptoms before getting checked: 

• 92 per cent of Canadians know cancer screening is a medical test to detect cancer, but more than half (53 per cent) mistakenly think initial screening should happen only after they notice symptoms.
• Men are more likely than women (58 per cent vs. 49 per cent respectively) to think that screening occurs after symptoms develop.
• At 50 per cent, self-reported screening rates for colon cancer are lower compared to those for other types of cancer:
• 77 per cent of women aged 50 to 74 report having had a mammogram in the past two years.

Canadians having ‘colonversations’:

• The Colon Cancer Screening in Canada survey found that 39 per cent of Canadians aged 50 to 74 have discussed getting tested for colon cancer with a family member, and 30 per cent have had the same discussion with a friend.
• The survey found more Canadians are discussing colon cancer testing with a doctor – about half of Canadians aged 50 to 74 recall having the conversation with a doctor.
• When a discussion with a doctor takes place, colon cancer screening was recommended nearly nine times out of ten. 

“I had never been screened for colon cancer, and didn’t know anything about it until received a home screening test through Manitoba’s ColonCheck screening program,” says Mr. Douglas Grant of Winnipeg. “I had no symptoms or pain, but the test looked easy and I could do it at home so I thought, why not?” 

The results of the home screening test showed hidden blood in the stool samples, so Mr. Grant had the follow up test, the colonoscopy.  “The doctor told me they found a large polyp. If they didn’t find it and remove it, it was the type of polyp that could have turned into cancer. I’m glad I did the test.” 

About Colon Cancer Screening
Getting checked, otherwise known as being screened, for colon cancer is an important method of disease prevention and early detection. Clearly, anyone with symptoms or signs of colorectal cancer needs to discuss the appropriate tests with their doctors.  But we now know that screening – a test done when a person has no signs or symptoms of the disease – is also important to prevent deaths from colon cancer. Because colon cancer – also known as colorectal or bowel cancer – often develops from a benign or non-cancerous polyp, it can actually be prevented when these polyps are discovered early and removed. 

There are a number of tests that check for colon cancer. Non-invasive stool tests, such as guaiac FOBT and Fecal Immunochemical Tests (FIT), look for blood released by fragile blood vessels in polyps.

“Screening for colorectal cancer works and people appear to know more about the availability of the at-home screening kit,” says Gillian Bromfield, Director, Cancer Control Policy, Canadian Cancer Society and member of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s Screening Advisory Group.  “The more Canadians participate in the provincial programs, the better chance we have to find and treat these cancers early, which can save lives. These survey findings are truly encouraging.”

If positive, an internal examination of the colon is recommended (colonscopy). A colonoscopy is done with a thin flexible tube containing a light and a video camera that can be connected to a display monitor. Any polyps or other abnormalities can be biopsied and sent to a laboratory to determine if cancer cells are present.

Encouraging Canadians to have ‘colonversations’
Colonversation.ca is a national resource for all Canadians to learn more about the importance of colon cancer screening. The site is part of a nationwide awareness program to help Canadians understand the facts about getting checked for colon cancer.  It includes detailed information on risk factors, videos and written instructions about the at home colon cancer screening kits, and links to provincial screening information on screening programs.  The Colonversation Campaign is an initiative of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s National Colorectal Cancer Screening Network. 

Visit colonversation.ca for more information about colon cancer screening and to find out more about how to get checked in your province. 

About the National Colorectal Cancer Screening Network
Established by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer in 2007, the National Colorectal Cancer Screening Network is building momentum towards a shared approach to colorectal cancer screening across the country. Programs are shared to support improved quality and consistency as each province and territory develops its own screening program, evaluation methods, quality initiatives and outreach. At present, membership includes program staff, provincial and territorial government representatives and representatives from the Canadian Cancer Society, Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Medical Association, Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada and Canadian Association of Gastroenterology.

 About the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer is an organization funded by the federal government to accelerate action on cancer control for all Canadians. Bringing together cancer experts, government representatives, patient and survivor groups, including the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Cancer Action Network to implement the first pan-Canadian cancer control strategy, the vision is to be a driving force to achieve a focused approach that will help prevent cancer, enhance the quality of life of those affected by cancer, lessen the likelihood of dying from cancer, and increase the efficiency of cancer control in Canada.  For more information, visit partnershipagainstcancer.ca. The Partnership is also the driving force behind cancerview.ca, an online community linking Canadians to cancer information, services and resources. 

Survey Methodology
The Colon Cancer Screening in Canada 2011 survey was conducted from September 8 to 27th, 2011 by Ipsos Reid. The study surveyed 4,050 Canadians aged 45 to 74, with 3,001 interviews conducted by telephone using random digit dialing, and 1,049 recruited via Ipsos Reid’s online panel. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100 per cent response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of Canadian adults 45-74 been polled. The sample was stratified by region, with quotas set by gender and age to achieve a representative sample of Canadians 45 to 74 within each province/territory.  The data were weighted to ensure that the sample’s regional and age/sex/education composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

Measuring the performance of the cancer system provides information that will inform initiatives to optimize quality in cancer control. The Partnership’s System Performance Initiative is a collaboration with national and provincial partners to develop a consistent approach to evaluate, compare and identify key areas for action across Canada’s cancer control continuum. As part of this initiative, the Partnership is pleased to release the 2011 Cancer System Performance Report, an annual publication that helps shape this work. 

The System Performance Initiative collects data from several sources, including provincial cancer agencies, Statistics Canada, and other partners, including more recently the Canadian Institute for Health Information, to measure progress in cancer control across the country. This information provides insight on the current status of key indicators across the cancer control continuum, from prevention, screening and diagnosis to treatment, supportive care and survivorship. The System Performance Reports are used by the cancer control community to identify gaps in measurement capabilities and in actual performance. This process can help health planners to identify opportunities for improvement that may not have been revealed without these pan-Canadian comparisons and analyses. 

The 2011 Cancer System Performance Report builds on the first two reports (published in 2009 and 2010) by updating a number of indicators with more recent data and introducing several new ones for areas including prevention, screening, treatment and long-term outcomes. As this is the third report, the availability of  additional years of data makes it possible to begin to identify trends for several of the indicators, particularly in treatment. 

Dr. Heather Bryant, the Partnership’s Vice-President of Cancer Control, who also oversees the System Performance Initiative, notes that the reports are designed to encourage discussion and develop priorities for action within Canada’s cancer control and health-care system: “Each year’s report identifies new questions that need to be asked and underlines the importance of measuring and reporting on cancer control efforts across the country.” 

To make the report easy to use, the information for each indicator uses the same format: what is being measured, why it is being measured, what the results show, what is happening internationally, what is being done and what the reader needs to be aware of regarding the data and measurement. 

Some highlights of the 2011 report include:

• In Prevention, new indicators have been added for rates of smoking prevalence, cessation and second-hand smoke exposure; alcohol consumption and alcohol abstinence; fruit and vegetable consumption; physical activity; and adult and adolescent obesity. The performance data on smoking indicate falling smoking rates and decreasing second-hand smoke exposure, which are both positive findings. On the other hand, alcohol consumption has increased and the percentage of Canadians considered overweight or obese continues to rise, even though physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption are improving.
• In Screening, new indicators have been added for HPV vaccination. Available data show variation in uptake among provinces, though participation rates for Pap tests were reasonably consistent across provinces. Participation rates for colorectal cancer screening continue to vary substantially by province, reflecting differences in the when each of the provincial programs started.
• In Diagnosis, the percentage of incident cases for which stage data are available in the provincial cancer registries continues to increase, with six of nine reporting provinces at or above 90 per cent for the top four cancer sites (breast, prostate, colorectal and lung). Wait times from positive mammogram to diagnosis resolution in breast cancer still vary substantially among provinces.
• In Treatment, an additional year of data was added in this year’s Report, allowing for preliminary trend analysis for the indicators measuring treatment rates relative to evidence-based guidelines. For radiation therapy wait times, seven of ten provinces had achieved the target of 90 per cent of patients starting radiation therapy within four weeks of being ready to treat. 

As in previous reports, the performance results are compared, where appropriate, by province or territory, age and sex, geography (urban, rural or remote) and socio-economic status (measured by income and/or education). In addition, the 2011 report examines new relationships for these areas, including relative survival rates by income, and conditional survival. Relative survival compares the likelihood of someone with cancer surviving for five years with the likelihood of survival for the general population. Conditional survival measures the likelihood of someone with cancer surviving an additional specified number of years, given that they have already survived a certain number of years after cancer diagnosis. 

“Although each province and territory collects this data to see their individual progress and where to focus improvements, the need for national collaboration must not be understated,” says Dr. Terry Sullivan, who chairs the Partnership’s System Performance and Quality Initiative Advisory Council. “This set of pan-Canadian indicators is an excellent resource to help provinces set priorities and help guide better decision-making, which will in turn drive quality and improvement in the cancer system as a whole.”

As this initiative moves forward, the Partnership will continue to work with the provinces to build on existing information resources and to provide reports that provide meaningful measurement of the performance of Canada’s cancer control system. 

Click here to read or download the 2011 System Performance Report.

The first-ever Canadian Cancer Research Conference was a huge success. Almost one thousand people attended the conference which was created to showcase cancer research efforts in Canada, to connect researchers with the public to report on the impact of Canada’s cancer research investment, and to connect funding agencies with their research communities.

The 31 member organizations of the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance (CCRA) collaborated on the event, which was held November 27–30, 2011, in Toronto. CCRA is an alliance of cancer research funding organizations and other affiliated partners, including the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. 

Over 80 per cent of attendees said they were satisfied with the opportunity to meet with colleagues and learn about leading-edge Canadian cancer research. Given that 77.76% of survey respondents attended the conference to hear about Canadian cancer research, it was encouraging to see positive responses to the achieving of this goal.   

“Cancer is such a complex area of research. We’ve made tremendous advances but there is still much more to be learned,” said Dr. Stuart Edmonds, Director of the Partnership’s research portfolio and Executive Director of the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance. “The conference provided a great opportunity to hear about some of the leading-edge cancer research taking place across the country and also for us to connect this research to the pan-Canadian research strategy.” 

CCRA works to identify, develop, and initiate large transformative cancer research initiatives; coordinate cancer research at a pan-Canadian level; document cancer research activity in Canada (i.e., the Canadian Cancer Research Survey); and act as the Partnership’s Research Advisory Group. The organization is currently overseeing the implementation of the pan-Canadian cancer research strategy, which was released in May 2010. The strategy provides a framework to guide cancer research investment in Canada and a vision for Canadian cancer research achievements over the next five years. 

The scientific conference also featured a Community Forum, an opportunity for volunteers, donors, staff and the public to meet world-renowned cancer researchers and learn more about the accomplishments in Canadian cancer research. The Community Forum was open to the public and drew more than 135 participants. Four of out five attendees who responded to a survey distributed on-site, were very satisfied with the speaker presentations and almost all respondents (97 per cent) said that they would attend another event like the Forum. 

For more information on the conference, please see the final report here.

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer is pleased to highlight the release of the new Consensus Guidelines on Safety and Quality Indicators in Endoscopy, developed to support continuing quality improvement for endoscopic services, including colon cancer screening and diagnosis. The guidelines were released today by the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, a group of gastroenterologists, scientists and other health professionals who support and promote the advancement of the scientific study of the digestive tract. 

“Our top priorities are patient safety and quality service wherever endoscopic service is delivered in Canada,” said Dr. David Armstrong, Lead, Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Endoscopy Committee. “Having national guidelines in place will be an invaluable tool for endoscopists and facilities across the country to achieve continuous improvements and best use of resources toward patient safety and care.” 

With funding from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Consensus Guidelines were developed by a group of 35 Canadian, European and U.S.-based experts in endoscopy, gastroenterology, surgery, nursing, legal and ethical issues, patient perspectives and quality improvement in health care.  The new guidelines provide endoscopists and facilities across Canada with 23 evidence-based recommendations ranging from quality and safety indicators to quality assurance, ethics and training in endoscopic services. 

“These recommendations provide an important foundation that will help guide the gastroenterology community as they continue to strive for the highest quality and safest treatment for Canadians,” said Heather Bryant, Vice President, Cancer Control at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. 

To read more click here.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Canadians, with an estimated 20,600 expected to die from the disease in 2011.¹ It is well established that tobacco use accounts for the majority of all cases of lung cancer.² January 15-21 is National Non-Smoking Week and during this week Canadians are reminded of the dangers of tobacco use and encouraged to quit smoking. The theme of this year’s Non-Smoking Week is “breaking up is hard to do.”

“Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and this week is a great chance for all Canadians to quit smoking or to support friends, family members and colleagues who are making the important decision to quit,” said Dr. Heather Bryant, Vice-President of Cancer Control at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.

Tobacco use also contributes to a number of other cancers including cancers of the larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, and bladder.  Cancer prevention is at the heart of the Partnership’s work and living a healthier lifestyle, including living tobacco-free, is an important component of cancer and chronic disease prevention. The following are examples of exciting and innovative work in this area:

• The Canadian Cancer Society – Ontario Division’s Driven to Quit Challenge launched earlier this month offering prizes to Ontarians who are tobacco-free for the month of March 2012. Participants are encouraged to remain tobacco-free until winners are announced on April 1, 2012. More than 36,000 Ontarians participated in the 2011 challenge. Since 2006, the Driven to Quit challenge has inspired more than 165,000 attempts to quit smoking. In addition, the Canadian Cancer Society has launched Break It Off, a new digital campaign funded by Health Canada to promote tobacco cessation in six provinces across Canada (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island).
• The Partnership’s BETTER Project is an initiative to increase prevention and screening for cancer, heart disease, and diabetes in primary care physicians’ offices in Alberta and Ontario. The initiative combines electronic medical records with office-based prevention facilitators to help doctors identify patients who could benefit from screening, prescribe lifestyle changes, track results and follow up regularly. The BETTER Project is funded through the Partnership’s Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention (CLASP) initiative.
• The Pan-Canadian Early Lung Cancer Detection Study, a collaboration between the Partnership and the Terry Fox Research Institute, is evaluating the effectiveness of using questionnaires, breathing test and blood tests to identify individuals at high risk for lung cancer. It is hoped that using these tests to triage these high-risk individuals will help identify those who could be recommended for further follow-up, should screening be found to be effective.
• The Partnership’s Prevention Policy Directory is a searchable database that houses Canadian policies and legal instruments (legislation, regulations and codes) relating to key modifiable risk factors, including tobacco consumption, for cancer and related chronic diseases. To date, there are almost 400 tobacco policies across Canada that are accessible through the directory.
• In September 2011, new Health Canada tobacco product labelling regulations came into force. The new requirements include graphic health warnings that cover 75 per cent of the front and back of packages and include a national “quit line” phone number and web address, plus easy-to-understand toxic emission statements.

National Non-Smoking Week is an annual public health education initiative established to educate people on the dangers of smoking and to work towards a smoke-free society. For more information on National Non-Smoking week, visit www.nnsw.ca. Learn more about smoking and lung cancer in Canada here.

¹Canadian Cancer Society. Statistics at a glance: Lung cancer statistics at a glance. 2011.
http://www.cancer.ca/Canada-wide/About%20cancer/Cancer%20statistics/Stats%20at%20a%20glance.aspx?sc_lang=en.
²Health Canada. Cancer Updates: Lung Cancer in Canada. Ottawa: 1998.

“This is the first national plan of its kind designed to meet the distinct needs of First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations,” said the former Advisory Committee Chair Caroline Lidstone-Jones, who is also Chief Quality Officer, Weeneebayko Area Health Authority.  “It highlights the importance of overall leadership and action, as well as the linkages between cancer control and the management of common chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.”

The development of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Action Plan on Cancer Control began at the National Forum on First Nations, Inuit and Métis Cancer Control hosted by the Partnership in March 2009, which brought together representatives from stakeholder groups to identify key gaps and help set future directions for collaborative action. During this meeting, the first step was to create an Advisory Committee to guide the development of an Action Plan.

The Advisory Committee and its member organizations developed proposed actions that include:

• Building community-based health human resources skills and capacity, and community awareness;
• Enhancing access to culturally-responsive resources and services that span the spectrum of cancer control;
• Enhancing access to cancer control programs and services in remote and rural communities; and
• Informing the development of common identifier standards and population definitions as a means to improving navigation.

Year one of the Action Plan implementation has already resulted in early learnings which will help to facilitate quality enhancements to cancer control services with and for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. 

Click here to read the Action Plan and learn more about year one implementation.

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer is pleased to be a partner in the development of internationally agreed upon and standardized reporting protocols for cancer pathology.    This new initiative has been undertaken by International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR) project, which brings together pathology communities from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australasia. The project is an important step toward international benchmarking of cancer trends and information sharing. 

Pathology is the study of disease, including causes, development and effects on the body.¹ Cancer pathology refers to the careful examination of tissue under a microscope to find out whether it is cancerous or non-cancerous and to determine the type of cancer present, if any.  Cancer pathology is key to helping determine the stage of an individual’s disease because it provides information on the type of cancer, the size of the tumour and the extent to which the disease has spread to the surrounding area. Clear and complete pathology reports are therefore critical to the success of a pan-Canadian cancer staging program.  

The International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting was launched in February 2011 as an alliance of the College of American Pathologists, the Royal College of Pathologists (UK), the Canadian Association of Pathologists in association with the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. As a pilot initiative, the group has developed pathology datasets for prostate, melanoma, endometrium and lung cancer. This standardization will allow the creation of a baseline of pathology information against which each country can measure and evaluate its own data. 

The value of publishing standardized cancer protocols for pathology reporting has been recognized in a number of countries and several have worked independently to create their own.  However, for the first time, these countries will work collaboratively to develop internationally harmonized core datasets through the ICCR project. 

Heading the Canadian arm of the collaboration is Dr. John Srigley, Chair of the Partnership’s National Pathology Standards Advisory Committee and head of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Program at Cancer Care Ontario. Dr. Srigley also chaired the expert working group to develop a pathology  dataset for prostate cancer. 

According to Dr. Srigley, the harmonized datasets will benefit not just the countries involved, but also ones that do not have the means to develop their own datasets. “We hope this project will have an impact on a global level, and that other countries, including developing ones, will be able to make use of these core datasets,” he said, noting that the core datasets will be readily translatable into languages other than English. 

The pilot collaboration for cancer pathology reporting has been so successful among these international partners that the ICCR is now investigating continued efforts, including expansion to include other countries in the initiative. See the ICCR Communique for more information.

¹ Canadian Cancer Society. Cancer Glossary

After losing her father and several friends to cancer, Mary O’Neill, a recent retiree from careers primarily in education and politics, was looking for answers. Why did some people develop cancer and not others? How could the disease be prevented in the first place? 

Mary’s questions prompted her to join a study that, with the participation of many others like herself, will help researchers better understand the causes of cancer and other chronic diseases. She was one of the first people to be part of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project. Today, there are more than 100,000 Canadians participating across many parts of the country. 

“It is incredibly meaningful that we have reached this milestone number of participants,” says Mary. “When I first joined, I thought, ‘What a fantastic opportunity to participate in such a far-reaching study, with very little time requested.’ Now, this great number of participants will only add to the significance of the research.” 

The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project involves the participation of ordinary Canadians like Mary who agree to share their health and lifestyle information over their adult lives. Collected anonymously, these data will over time enable researchers to explore and understand patterns and trends that may help to answer some of their most challenging questions about the causes of cancer and other chronic diseases. 

“If my participation helps someone avoid cancer in the future, it’s worth every minute,” Mary says. 

Mary’s participation in the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project is through one of five regional studies, Alberta’s the Tomorrow Project. The others are Atlantic PATH, the BC Generations Project, the Ontario Health Study and Quebec’s CARTaGENE. While each study has eligibility requirements, participation is generally open to people aged 35 to 69.

“Through the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project, Canadians will be making a major contribution to what we know internationally about cancer and other chronic diseases,” says Alison Spaull, executive director of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project. “Their simple gift of information will yield results for decades to come. Ultimately, they are helping their neighbours, their children, their grandchildren and each other.” 

The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project is entirely funded by the public sector including $42 million from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, its largest current funder and the national organization responsible for leading a coordinated cancer strategy across the country. An additional $57 million has been invested by regional funders including the BC Cancer Foundation, Alberta Cancer Foundation, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and Genome Quebec.

Learn more about the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project by visiting http://www.partnershipfortomorrow.ca/.