2024-25 Annual report

Increasing access to oncofertility services for young people

Each year, about 8,000 adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15 to 39 in Canada are diagnosed with cancer. A cancer diagnosis at this life stage can disrupt important milestones, including education, work, relationships and decisions about family planning. CPAC is supporting initiatives that ensure AYA patients have access to timely, equitable fertility preservation resources, services and the peer support they need to navigate life during and after cancer.

Since 2021, CPAC has supported partners in 12 provinces and territories to spread and scale the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncofertility Screening in the Cancer System initiative. This work is critically important, as fewer than 50 per cent of people living with cancer in their reproductive years have had a discussion with their doctor about fertility.

CPAC is currently supporting four projects to increase access to fertility-related information and care. These efforts span British Columbia in partnership with Yukon, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Atlantic Canada, and are grounded in meaningful collaboration with AYAs who have lived or are living with cancer. Each project is working to embed oncofertility supports into standard care practices by:

• Developing education materials and referral pathways that reflect AYA needs and values
• Integrating clinician and patient input into program design
• Prioritizing engagement with equity-denied populations, including Indigenous, racialized and underserved communities

In the fall of 2024, CPAC brought partners together to share progress and discuss common challenges and opportunities. Key themes emerged about a need to increase awareness and access to resources for patients and healthcare providers; prioritize inclusion and equity, especially engaging with First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners; and identify fertility preservation opportunities before treatment begins.

British Columbia and Manitoba expect projects to be implemented in 2025, with the remaining jurisdictions on track for completion by 2026.

A key metric related to quality of life for our patients in survivorship and beyond is oncofertility – the ability or option for someone to have their own biological children in future, regardless of the cancer treatment they received when they were young.

– Dr. Paul D’Alessandro, Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist, University of Saskatchewan

Recognizing the value of connection, CPAC is also supporting peer-led programming for AYAs during and after cancer by supporting Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) to strengthen its digital hub for peer support and AYA CAN to provide resources in French.

Go to the next story: Rethinking how we deliver care across Canada