CCSN’s October 2024 Ontario All-party Cancer Caucus a Great Success!

The Canadian Cancer Survivor Network (CCSN) held its Ontario All-party Cancer Caucus (APCC) at the Queen’s Park Legislative Building in Toronto, Ontario on October 23, 2024. This was CCSN’s second APCC of the year for Ontario, and their fourth for 2024, with a spring APCC held in Saskatchewan, and the first APCC in Manitoba in late fall.

The Caucus meeting was facilitated by CCSN Staff members Lindsay Timm, Community Engagement Manager, and Trevor Smith-Millar, Communications Manager. Jackie Manthorne, CCSN’s President & CEO, was unable to attend the Caucus because of the death of her wife in September 2024.

Two cancer organizations were invited to present at the APCC. The first, Ovarian Cancer Canada (OCC), which is a national charity dedicated to funding research and raising awareness of the disease. Vice President of Programs and Policy, Cailey Crawford, was joined by Dr. Alicia Tone, Director, Research; Alexandria Tadman, Associate, Government Relations and Advocacy; Dr. Stéphanie Lheureux, Division of Medical Oncology & Hematology – Gynecology, Gynecology Site Lead, Westaway Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Associate Professor, University of Toronto, and Shannon Kadar, Patient Advocate and Member of the Ovarian Cancer Canada Prevention Task Force.

The second organization that presented was the Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network (CCRAN), a grassroots organization that has accompanied CCSN several at several APCCs. Filomena Servidio-Italiano, President & CEO of CCRAN and Steve Slack, a patient advocate who previously attended CCSN’s fall 2023 All-party Cancer Caucus.

Lindsay Timm: “There should be no age limitations in our cancer screening programs.”

Lindsay Timm opened the meeting with a traditional land acknowledgement, recognizing that the Ontario Legislature sits on the traditional Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit and the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, the Wendat, and the Haudenosaunee.

“I would like to reflect that this territory is within the lands protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe and other allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes,” Timm added. “Being here at the Ontario Legislature – just a short distance from Lake Ontario – and in the ? dwa? na ga da:t Room, which in Cayuga language of the Haudenosaunee group, means ‘we will raise our voices together in unison,’ surrounded by a collection of beautiful Ontario Indigenous art and artifacts, remind us that this is home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island, and we are grateful to work – and meet with you all – on this land.”

Timm then spoke about the strides that the Ontario Government had made since CCSN’s spring All-party Cancer Caucus, particularly about lung and breast cancer. She praised the recent decision to lower the breast screening age from 50 to 40, which went into effect on October 8th. “We congratulate the Ontario government – and members of this All-Party Cancer Caucus – for aligning to the data and supporting the community to create more access where it is greatly needed.

“We would also like to congratulate the government for adding a lung cancer screening site in Hamilton. That said, we need more lung cancer screening sites to provide access to all Ontarians at risk, whether they live in urban or rural regions of this province.”

“However,” Timm added, “Improvements can still be made, especially in how screening programs tackle radon. Radon gas causes 16 per cent of lung cancer deaths in Canada every year, which means that 850 Ontarians die from radon exposure every year in Ontario. Radon poisoning can happen in people’s homes, and without testing, they would not know about it until it’s too late.

“By adding exposure to radon to Ontario’s lung cancer screening program AND by making radon tests free of charge to Ontarians with high radon exposure, the government would be preventing lung cancer for people who are often never smokers and limiting the number of late-stage diagnoses. Let’s be the first province in Canada to do this!”

Timm then addressed firefighters’ cancers, which CCSN had raised at a previous Caucus meeting. This time, however, Timm revealed that firefighters’ outsized risk of cancer had become a personal issue. “My brother told our family that he wants to make a career change. I bet you can guess what he said next – yes, he wants to become a firefighter. My first thought was wow, big change. My next thought was that I don’t want him to get cancer, and if he does, I want his care covered because he is going to be making such a sacrifice to protect others. I want him and other firefighters to have the protection they deserve.”

From 25 to 30 Ontario firefighters die each year from cancer. All firefighters should be encouraged to undergo regular screening for cancer and other illnesses caused by their occupation. Timm stressed the importance of catching these cancers early, which has routinely been shown to increase odds of survival.

Timm continued by iterating CCSN’s support of early screening, especially for colorectal and cervical cancer. For the latter, increased surveillance with the Human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling tool has been shown to be an accurate screening measure for cervical cancer. Timm added that the take-home test is an important method of testing larger populations.

“In a time where there are 2.5 million Ontarians without access to a family doctor, the take-home test plays a critical role in continuing adequate access to proper screening.”

Particularly for colorectal cancer, Timm said that it is important to test early as diagnoses of the disease is increasing in the under-50 population.

We believe that there should be no age limitations to our cancer screening programs. This may seem like a daunting suggestion, but only by removing these limitations will we be able to diagnose cancer early and give patients a chance of a cure.”

Timm closed out her opening remarks by thanking Whitby MPP Lorne Coe for his continued support of CCSN’s All-party Cancer Caucuses.

Caily Crawford: “Research holds the key to better understanding the complexities of ovarian cancer.”

Timm then introduced Caily Crawford, who is the Vice President of Programs and Policy and oversees education, support and advocacy at Ovarian Cancer Canada. She also develops the organization’s programming. OCC is the only charity in Canada focused solely on the eradication of ovarian cancer, and advocates for more research into the disease.

Ovarian cancer is more deadly than most cancers. In Ontario, of the 1,400 women expected to be diagnosed in 2024, 784 will die within five years. “It’s more fatal than breast cancer, and the five-year survival rate is only 44 per cent. One in two women diagnosed will not live for five years, and unlike so many other cancers, these outcomes haven’t changed significantly in 60 years.”

Crawford said that there are many reasons why the survival rate is so low. There are no screening tests for ovarian cancer (PAP tests, she noted, are only for cervical cancer), and there is no test for the general population.

“The only way to diagnose ovarian cancer is by being admitted to a cancer centre for a biopsy, although there is a misconception that a simple blood test can catch the disease. And we must talk about the challenges of symptoms, with two things to keep in mind: ovarian cancer symptoms are incredibly vague, they’re common, and they’re not specific.” Crawford explained that the most common ovarian cancer symptoms are bloating and abdominal discomfort. These are symptoms that are often explained by less serious conditions, and they often do not grab the attention of a doctor or the patient. She said that with ovarian cancer, there is no unique symptom that alerts the doctor, so it’s often overlooked or ignored.

The second factor that makes ovarian cancer so deadly is that it doesn’t behave like a lot of other cancers. “It spreads very quickly right out of the gate,” Crawford said, “So if you think about cancer cells on the surface of the ovary or the fallopian tube, they simply slop off into the abdomen or pelvis and it doesn’t cause any symptoms for most women, so by the time you’re having symptoms, it’s actually already late stage.”

Crawford said that the late-stage diagnoses, combined with the lack of research funding, means that there are few treatments for the disease. She added that many of the challenges associated with ovarian cancer are in finding it at its earliest, more treatable stage. Crawford says that Ovarian Cancer Canada is committed to research on early detection to find an early detection test. However, she added, results globally have been disappointing. This means that focus for OCC has instead shifted to prevention.

“With an estimated one in five ovarian cancer cases being linked to inherited genetic mutations, prior knowledge of a mutation can actually helps patients in Ontario determine if they are at high risk of developing this disease and can take preventative action.”

Crawford laid out a pathway to effective prevention. First, by identifying people who might be at high risk of developing ovarian cancer by investigating family and medical history. If there is reason to believe that there is a high risk of ovarian cancer developing, then the patient will be tested for the full suite of cancer genes. If genetic testing confirms that a person does have a genetic mutation related to ovarian cancer, like BRCA mutation, then the primary care provider should discuss risk-reducing surgery and make the appropriate referrals. Crawford refers to people who have the genes for ovarian cancer, but not the actual disease, as “previvors.”

While Crawford called this the optimal pathway, she also said that it’s not being implemented properly. “So research conducted by Ovarian Cancer Canada and published in Current Oncology found that there was a lack of discussion on family history between primary care providers and their patients, and physicians aren’t always referring patients to genetic counselling and testing when it’s appropriate.”

In addition to this, Crawford said that there is a wide variation in wait times and eligibility criteria for genetic counselling and testing, and there is even variation across not only the country but also within provinces. There is also very poor access and navigation to the risk reducing surgery and aftercare. Lack of research investment in these areas compared to other cancers compounds this issue.

“So, given those missed opportunities, Ovarian Cancer Canada convened the Ovarian Cancer Prevention Task Force with financial support from the AstraZeneca/Merck Alliance. We assembled a task force of experts of patients, previvors, gynecological oncologists, genetics, counsellors, family physicians and researchers. The goal of this Task Force is to improve the prevention pathway for all Canadians at high risk of ovarian cancer,” Crawford stated.

Crawford said that the Task Force is creating and disseminating resources to educate and engage primary care clinicians and their patients. While primary care doctors are busy, they are also the gateway to prevention of ovarian cancer, and doctors and patients must be educated about the disease. This includes handouts to primary care providers, waiting room posters and interactive tools available on Ovarian Cancer Canada’s website.

The Task Force is also identifying gaps and barriers in healthcare systems related to prevention opportunities, advocating for change, and investing in prevention research that relies on the lived experiences of patients aimed at improving the prevention landscape in Canada. One example Crawford gave was funding a project investigating equity and cancer genetics, including identifying racial disparities in cancer genetic services.

“But beyond improving prevention, I really need to stress that research holds the key to better understanding the complexities of ovarian cancer leading to the discovery and the developments of a screening test and early detection tool as well as novel and innovative treatments. And this is why Ovarian Cancer Canada funds and is driving collaborative and innovative research across the country, research that we know needs to continue and increase so we can discover how to detect ovarian cancer early, treat patients better and ultimately eradicate ovarian cancer.”

Dr. Stéphanie Lheureux: “If we get patients diagnosed earlier, it will be a game changer for patients and their families.”

Crawford then introduced Dr. Stéphanie Lheureux, Division of Medical Oncology & Hematology – Gynecology, Gynecology Site Lead, Westaway Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Lheureux reiterated, in her own experience, that ovarian cancer was very hard to diagnose. “How many times have I heard my patient say, ‘I went to see my GP, and no one thought it was ovarian cancer, and after that was delayed, I was rushed to the ER for diagnoses and CT scans.’ So timing is very key, because when you are diagnosed with very late-stage cancer, most of our patients relapse.”

Dr. Lheureux said that as a result, a diagnosis is very hard on the patient and the family, as they know there is no cure. This is why Dr. Lheureux stresses prevention, adding that while research is key, “We don’t have the key yet. If we get patients diagnosed earlier, it will be a game changer for patients and their families.”

She stressed that research is the only path forward to improve patient care. “I hope that in a few years [a breakthrough] will be here and we can thank you for funding our research and prevention for our patients.”

After Dr Lheureux’s comments, Crawford returned to the podium to introduce patient advocate Shannon Kadar.

Shannon Kadar: “Why did no one tell me?”

“Growing up, my sister had a best friend named Christina. She was always around, sweet little girl, and they went to grade school and high school together and into young adulthood. In 2013, Christina lost her mom to ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, nine months later, we buried Christina, who had passed away from the exact same disease. She was 31.”

Kadar said that at the time, the links between genetics and ovarian cancer were not well understood, and so it was considered a tragic coincidence that both mother and daughter passed away from the same disease. But Kadar knows now that it was anything but coincidental.

“Fast forward to 2019, when I was undergoing a simple surgery to remove an ovarian cyst. When I woke up my doctor said unfortunately you didn’t have a cyst, but you had a fallopian tube full of tumours. There was good new and bad news. The good news was I was stage one, and no one is ever diagnosed at stage one; we had found it by accident.

“The bad news was it was high-grade serous ovarian cancer, the most lethal and most common type. The plan of attack was surgery to remove all my remaining lady parts, which put me into instant menopause, and I had to undergo six months of chemotherapy. I was terribly sick.”

As Kadar healed, she says she dove into the research, wanting to learn everything she could about the disease. As she led a healthy lifestyle and did not smoke or drink, she wanted to know why this had happened to her. She learned that there was a strong link between genetic mutations and the development of ovarian cancers.

Even though Kadar had no family history of ovarian cancer, she had a discussion with her oncologist, who was willing to do genetic testing. She brought in her parents, her sister, and her three sons, and a few weeks later they found out the family, including two of her sons, carry a BRCA 1 genetic mutation, which put her at an extremely high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Kadar had no idea because she was the first female descendent in her family in three generations.

With her risk of breast cancer at 87 per cent and already dealing with ovarian cancer, Kadar opted to undergo a preventative double mastectomy, which was a 12-hour surgery and that caused her to spend four days in the ICU. But Kadar still considered herself lucky; she had a 90 per cent chance of a cure because of the early diagnosis. Nine months later, the cancer not only returned, but had metastasized to her spleen and lungs. Her cancer was now incurable. Her spleen was removed, and she underwent another six months of chemotherapy.

“Again, I struggled with ‘why didn’t someone tell me?’ Information was out there about genetic testing that could have saved my life. We could have prevented it. I never had to go through any of it. I was so angry. I showed up at my OBGYN’s office every year annually from the time I was a teenager for regular pap smears. I saw nurse practitioners for breast exams. I saw countless doctors in clinics over the years. No one ever mentioned to me anything about doing genetic testing or finding out if I carried a high-risk cancer gene. I knew nothing about it.

“Why wasn’t anyone talking about the fact that a simple saliva test or blood tested at your local lab could have told me that I was carrying a high-risk cancer gene and could have given me the opportunity to prevent it before it developed? I needed to do more.”

Kadar says she jumped at the opportunity to be part of Ovarian Cancer Canada’s Task Force. She said that prevention can save lives, but only if people know about the risk factors. It is for this reason that people only find out about testing for high-risk cancer genes after their cancer develops, when it’s too late.

It’s too late for me. It’s definitely too late for Christina and her mom. We often don’t talk about family history; health issues are often hushed or hidden. Silent symptoms of ovarian cancer are almost always dismissed by family doctors or misdiagnosed as something like bloating. People at high risk and those who find out they have high-risk cancer genes have life-saving options. We can do increased screening and preventative surgeries. So, I’m here today to tell you, so that you don’t ever have to say, ‘why didn’t someone tell me’?”

Kadar urged MPPs to encourage discussions about family history, provide tools for patients to be able to talk to their doctors about the symptoms, and educate front-line doctors to recognize them. She says she hopes that the task force can stop people from asking, “Why did no one tell me?”

Crawford returned to the podium to wrap up Ovarian Cancer Canada’s presentation. Crawford urged MPPs to support their work, asked to meet with MPPs to help disseminate their materials, to talk about the barriers to address gaps in care, and to talk about the state of research in Canada.

Filomena Servidio-Italiano: “It is our sincere hope to inform you all and to assist you as you move forward in your mandate to reduce the burden of cancer.”

At the conclusion of Ovarian Cancer Canada’s presentation, Timm introduced Filomena Servidio-Italiano, the CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network (CCRAN). This organization was founded to educate patients and doctors about the disease and offers support and resources for those who have the disease. CCRAN and CCSN are regular partners, having welcomed representatives from the CCRAN at past All-party Cancer Caucuses in Ontario and other provinces. CCRAN has recently expanded its patient-focused mandate to serve a population of patients with cancer outside of the colorectal cancer space in drug approval evidence submissions.

After introducing CCRAN to the MPPs, Servidio-Italiano began her speech by explaining the significance of biomarkers. They are a biological molecule found in the body that can signal the presence of a condition or disease and can be used to see how the body responds to certain treatments. They are also the genetic signs of certain types of cancer, which Servidio-Italiano describes as the disease’s “fingerprint.”

“Now biomarker testing allows us to identify these mutations, or the fingerprint, and it really sits at the centre of personalized medicine as it provides the information that is needed to make individualized treatment decisions for the metastatic cancer patient population – it harnesses the potential of precision medicines.”

Servidio-Italiano then provided testimonials from physicians Dr. Stephanie Snow of Dalhousie University and President of Lung Cancer Canada, and Dr. Michael J. Raphael, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncologist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Both stressed the importance of this type of genetic testing, and that it is important to eliminate disparities in genomic testing across the province.

Servidio-Italiano said that CCRAN organized a conference on biomarkers, which was held in 2023. The conference hosted several different patient groups, including CCSN, to discuss the barriers and issues surrounding access to biomarker testing.

“These are the barriers and challenges to timely and equitable biomarker testing access identified by patient advocacy groups at the conference. The top three are: lack of timely access to testing and reporting of results, lack of patient education, and intra- and inter-provincial disparities in access. Additionally, the patient experts identified a lack of access to testing, failure of healthcare professionals to discuss biomarker testing and its importance in treatment selection, and a lack of funding for biomarker testing. The significant impact of the social determinants of health and the general lack of advocacy for rare cancer types was also highlighted.”

According to the task force, the top concern across all patients they surveyed was lack of timely access to testing and lack of timely reporting of results. “Patients and their loved ones have already been delivered terrible, catastrophic news – that they have metastatic cancer – only to finally meet with their medical oncologist, the quarterback of their care, and then discover that their oncologist cannot advise them on the best course of treatment because our healthcare system is behind in delivering critically important results to help guide treatment selection. For patients who have been newly diagnosed, whose lives have been turned upside down, this can feel like an eternity.”

Among the barriers to timely access included several issues, including tests performed at an outside centre, the test not taking pace on diagnosis of the cancer, funding or insurance coverage if the test is not publicly covered, and delays in reporting results to the patient and the oncologist.

Further, Servidio-Italiano added, a lack of patient education and awareness about the testing was the second most commonly reported barrier to receiving biomarker testing. “It will come as no surprise that there is a broad spectrum of what and how much patients know about their cancer type, and this extends to the potential utility of biomarker testing of their specific cancer as well. Patients do not necessarily have the confidence or competence to ask their oncologist questions about biomarkers or to find out if testing was done.”

Servidio-Italiano stressed that it should not be on the patients to educate themselves, and that misinformation was a risk in this type of research. Education levels and health literacy created further barriers to accessing testing, as the concepts of biomarkers can be complex and difficult to understand outside the medical field.

Finally, the third major barrier Servidio-Italiano identified was the rampant disparities not only between provinces, but within provincial healthcare systems. Who gets tested and how long results take to be reported varies greatly. Servidio-Italiano stressed that biomarker testing had good value for the healthcare system, but that differing budgets made the process even more difficult to navigate.

Servidio-Italiano said the results of the conference were so compelling that the findings were published in Current Oncology and received media coverage of their event. “It was important for us to reach out to you, and your colleagues in other provincial jurisdictions, to share this essential information identifying the inequities in our cancer care system and to advocate on behalf of our collaborating patient organization partners, and ultimately on behalf of all metastatic cancer patients in Canada, and in particular today in Ontario. It is our sincere hope to inform you all and to assist you as you move forward in your mandate to reduce the burden of cancer and improve the quality of life for all residents affected by cancer in Ontario, because we know you are most certainly aware of the precision medicine approach and the importance of access to biomarker testing for treating patients diagnosed with cancer.”

Servidio-Italiano outlined several recommendations that were developed because of the conference. You can find the full list HERE. A second biomarker conference was held in June of 2024, which Servidio-Italiano said had 200 more participants than the previous one, which spoke to the importance of biomarker testing. The organization is working on publishing the conference’s findings, which include a business case to bring advanced biomarker testing to Canada.

Steve Slack: “We’re better than this.”

Servidio-Italiano then the next speaker. “Allow me to share with you the human impact of delayed biomarker testing results. Allow me to introduce Steve Slack, a survivor of stage 4 sigmoid colon cancer. Ladies and gentlemen, he is one of the most inspiring humans I have ever had the privilege of supporting, and after becoming acquainted by his story today, I believe you will feel humbled by his journey.

“He is a husband, father, son, brother, patient advocate, and so much more. His disease has not defined him. Instead, his disease has encouraged him to serve others and be the best version of himself that he can be, to relentlessly go out into the world to make it a better place with courage, hope and perseverance, and above all, love in his heart for others going through the same journey.”

Slack has presented at an Ontario All-party Cancer Caucus before. Last year, he spoke about the need for colorectal cancer screening programs to start at age 45, instead of age 50 as they currently do in Ontario. Slack was 48 years old when he was diagnosed with his cancer, meaning a screening test started at 45 would have detected his cancer early.

“I’m not here today to talk to you again about changing the colorectal screening age in Ontario, but I just couldn’t resist taking this opportunity to remind you today that we still need that change to happen. We also desperately need to improve turnaround time for biomarker testing in the province. So, to illustrate that point, I want to share my whole story with you, as an example how the system, as it is currently, is failing cancer patients in Ontario.”

On June 18th, 2021, and 48 years old, Slack underwent his first colonoscopy and a woke to the news that not only did he have cancer, but that the tumour was so large that his colon was blocked. The tumour had also broken through the colon wall, spread into his lymph nodes and up to his liver, and created 23 metastatic tumours.

“My doctors were frank; my prognosis was pretty grim. I was told it was incurable, the lesions on my liver were inoperable, there wasn’t surgically a whole lot they could do. But I did need emergency surgery right away to have the tumour removed from my colon because it was blocked. So, on July 9th, two weeks after that colonoscopy, I had emergency surgery to remove the primary tumour. Seven weeks later, on August 24th I met with my oncologist for the first time, which is when he would have ordered the biomarker testing for my tumour.”

This led Slack to question why he had to wait so long to see his oncologist so they could begin biomarker testing. Why wouldn’t that happen automatically after July 9th after the tumour was removed, he asked, and how could his oncologist know the right treatment for him without that knowledge?

“In treating cancer, time is of the essence. It is a well-documented, scientific fact that the sooner a cancer patient begins treatment, the better their outcomes are. Delays cost lives.”

Slack began chemotherapy on August 31st, without the biomarker testing results, meaning they had to start the treatment without knowing if they were using the best option. It wasn’t until two months later, about to start his fourth round of chemotherapy in late October of 2021, that he received the biomarker testing results. He didn’t understand them but his oncologist did, and they held good news: He had access to targeted therapies that were clinical proven.

However, this also meant that during that time, Slack was receiving sub-optimal therapy that was reducing his chances of survival. He emphasized that valuable time was lost, as it took two full months for his biomarker results to come back.

“Over the next two-and-a-half years, I would undergo a total of 34 rounds of chemotherapy, 24 rounds of the target precision therapy that was identified from my biomarker testing, and I had two additional surgeries as well. I was lucky enough to have a favorable response. The 23 metastatic tumors I had in my liver had almost completely disappeared; I was down to only one stubborn tumour left on my liver that just wouldn’t go away. So, after consulting with my medical team and looking at the options available to me, I decided that the best course of action at that point was to undergo a liver transplant.”

In November of last year, Slack underwent liver transplant surgery, which was part of a clinical trial at the Princess Margaret and Toronto General Hospitals. The surgery lasted 10 hours, and Slack says it was the hardest thing he had ever done.

“The doctors told me that there was a 50 per cent chance that I would go into to cardiac arrest during the surgery. Not 15, 50. I said goodbye to my wife and kids. I made each of them a video, because I didn’t know if I was coming back.”

Slack spent 23 days in hospital, and when he was sent home, he had two surgical drains, an IV drip, and a walker as he was too weak to walk or stand on his own. He had home care for months after that surgery. But today, all those medical procedures paid off: his most recent scans have shown that his cancer has not come back.

“As you can see, I’m doing much better now,” he said to the applause of MPPs. “But I am left to wonder what if my oncologist and I had had my biomarker testing results at our first meeting. What if I had been able to start that precision therapy that I needed along with my chemo right from the get-go, instead of four months in and with a two-month delay? Maybe I would have had a complete response, and I wouldn’t have needed to take such a drastic step and subject myself to such personal risk to undergo a complete liver transplant. I also have the lifelong consequence of living with a donated organ.”

Slack considers himself lucky, as there are many other cancer patients who either die waiting for the biomarker testing results or die in treatment because their target therapy is delayed.

“We’re better than this. I know Ontario can do better than this. And so, on behalf of cancer patients across Ontario, I am asking our elected representatives in this room to please fix this for us. We can do better.”

Question and answers

For the next 30 minutes, the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network, Ovarian Cancer Canada, and the Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network fielded questions and comments from politicians. Questions were about where genetic and biomarker testing are done in Ontario. There are 17 genetic testing locations, mainly in hospitals and in collaboration with the oncology team. Patients must meet a certain threshold based on their family history to access genetic testing.

Regional cancer centres do biomarker testing, meaning that other hospitals must send their tests to these centres. These centres can test for more genes, with only five to 10 places in the province with this capacity. Servidio-Italiano says that they are understaffed for the workload they have.

Many questions that followed were about the process of the system, and inquiring about best practices, and how to interact with the federal government on certain issues.

“Cancer Can’t Wait”

After the conversation, Timm closed the meeting with these comments:  “Cancer isn’t one disease but more than 100. And depending on how you classify cancer, you could even say that there are more than 200 types. The World Health Organization states that between 30 and 50 per cent of cancers are preventable.

“As a society, let’s work on preventing them. But even people who have a low risk may still develop cancer. Low risk does not mean that a person will not get cancer. It means that there is less chance of getting cancer. So, the more we do to lessen the barriers to access cancer screening, the earlier cancer can be diagnosed for everyone.

“Let’s save lives. And remember that Cancer Can’t Wait. In this time of great fluctuation and change with our climate, it has never been more important to include the continuation of cancer care in our emergency preparedness plans to ensure cancer care, from diagnosis to treatment, continues during future pandemics and natural disasters. Because cancer won’t wait now, or in the future.”

Attendees of the 2024 Ontario All-party Cancer Caucus

Canadian Cancer Survivor Network (CCSN)

  • Lindsay Timm, Community Engagement Manager, Canadian Cancer Survivor Network
  • Trevor Smith-Millar, Communications Manager, Canadian Cancer Survivor Network

Ovarian Cancer Canada

  • Cailey Crawford, Vice President, Programs and Policy, Ovarian Cancer Canada
  • Dr. Alicia Tone, Director, Research, Ovarian Cancer Canada
  • Alexandria Tadman, Associate, Government Relations and Advocacy, Ovarian Cancer Canada
  • Dr. Stéphanie Lheureux, Division of Medical Oncology & Hematology – Gynecology, Gynecology Site Lead, Westaway Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Associate Professor, University of Toronto
  • Shannon Kadar, Patient Advocate, Member of the Ovarian Cancer Canada Prevention Task Force

Colorectal Cancer Resource and Action Network (CCRAN)

  • Filomena Servidio-Italiano, President & CEO, Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network
  • Steve Slack, Patient Advocate

Government – Progressive Conservative

  • MPP Dave Smith, Peterborough – Kawartha (Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance)
  • MPP Laura Smith, Thornhill (Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services)
  • MPP Aris Babikian, Scarborough-Agincourt
  • MPP Tyler Allsopp, Bay of Quinte
  • MPP Steve Clark, Leeds-Grenville -Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes (Government House Leader)
  • Honourable Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Mississauga Centre (Minister of Long-Term Care)
  • Honourable Todd McCarthy, Durham (Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement)
  • Honourable Kevin Holland, Thunder Bay, Atikokan (Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products)
  • MPP Sheref Sabawy, Mississauga-Erin Mills (Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism)
  • Honourable Paul Calandra, Markham-Stouffville, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
  • MPP Anthony Leardi, Essex (Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health)
  • MPP Daisy Wai, Richmond Hill, (Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility)
  • MPP Will Bouma, Brantford-Brant, PA to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Official Opposition – NDP

  • MPP France Gélinas, Nickel Belt (Health Critic)
  • MPP Catherine Fife, Waterloo (Finance Critic)

NDP who stayed briefly, took package of materials

  • MPP Tom Rakocevic, Humber River-Black Creek
  • MPP Karen McCrimmon, Kanata-Carleton

Liberal Party 

  • MPP Dr. Adil Shani, Don Valley East (Health Critic)

Green Party

  • MPP Aislinn Clancy, Kitchener Centre