Translational Research

April 2012 marks the beginning of the Partnership’s second five-year mandate and the next phase of implementing Canada’s national cancer strategy. The priorities and initiatives for the next five years are outlined in our 2012-2017 strategic plan, Sustaining Action Toward a Shared Vision. Our website will soon be updated to reflect the activities supporting the strategic plan. The information below reflects the priorities and accomplishments of our work between 2007 and 2012.  

Moving research findings into clinical practice

The Partnership is collaborating with the Terry Fox Research Institute on the Pan-Canadian Cancer Biomarker Initiative to translate research findings into clinical practice. The work’s focus is practical: to identify emerging technologies that can improve early detection and treatment methods through the use of biomarkers, which are biochemical features that indicate the progress of disease or the effects of therapy.

The initiative focuses on many types of cancer, including lung, ovarian and prostate. The most advanced study in the initiative is the Early Lung Cancer Detection Study, which explores how emerging technologies can improve early detection of lung cancer. The study builds on large international trials that are investigating whether spiral computed tomography (CT) scanning offers the most effective means of screening individuals who are at high risk for lung cancer.  

Preliminary results of a recent U.S. trial on the use of spiral CT screening showed that examining patients by CT is effective in reducing lung cancer deaths by 20 per cent over the use of chest x-rays for screening. All-cause mortality was also reduced by 7 per cent in those given a CT scan.

The Canadian study screens high-risk individuals using other methods, including questionnaires, a breathing test, and a blood biomarker test. It seeks to identify who could benefit most from spiral CT screening and to examine how the combination of tests could be used to maximize the impact of lung cancer screening as quickly as possible in Canada.

 Progress to date

• At the end of March 2011, baseline assessments were completed for all 2,500 participants in the Early Lung Cancer Detection Study. As of September 2011, 84 cancers have been discovered. Additional cases with suspicious lesions are undergoing further investigations. In the course of the study, data on direct and indirect costs of diagnosing and treating lung cancer was collected prospectively for health economics analysis.
• Pilot projects in translational research related to ovarian and prostate cancer have been funded following full international peer reviews.
• Investment was made in a project that aims to further understand anorexic cachexia syndrome, a complex metabolic syndrome that leads to involuntary weight loss in cancer patients.
• Work was done to improve the survival rates of people with multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This study will improve the ability to detect the disease in patients.