A National Approach to Cancer Control in Canada Remarks by Jeff Lozon, Chair Canadian Partnership Against Cancer

The Cancer Burden “The human price is not the only loss caused by cancer. It is responsible for immense costs to health systems, insufferable economic and emotional burdens on families and irreplaceable losses for communities.” “A well-conceived, well-managed national cancer control programme lowers cancer incidence and improves the life of cancer patients, no matter what resource constraints a country faces.” World Health Organization

What is cancer control? It involves… all aspects of the disease the entire population

Challenges of a federated model Federal government Public Health Agency of Canada 10 provincial governments and cancer agencies 3 territorial governments Regional healthcare entities

Cancer in Canada Overall rates are stable, but number of cancers going up as population grows and ages Leading cause of death in middle-aged adults In age group 35-64, cancer causes more deaths than heart disease, stroke, injury and infectious diseases – COMBINED Significant cost – both economic and human –to Canada and Canadians  Present and future impact of cancer in Canada led to original concept of a national strategy for cancer control

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer was established as a result of the determined efforts of hundreds of stakeholders in the cancer community over many years. The vision for a coordinated, pan-Canadian strategy led the federal government to announce the formation of the Partnership in Canadian Partnership Against Cancer was established as an arm’s length non-profit corporation to manage the implementation of the Canadian Cancer Control Strategy. The government committed $250 million over five years for implementation of Canada's first national cancer control strategy. We began operations in April The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer:

Who are we? We are a partnership of cancer experts, charitable organizations, governments, patients and survivors, determined to bring change to the cancer control domain. We work together to stimulate generation of new knowledge and accelerate the implementation of existing knowledge about cancer across Canada.

Our vision… Reduce expected number of cancer cases Enhance quality of life for those affected by cancer Lessen likelihood of Canadians dying from cancer Increase effectiveness & efficiency of cancer control domain …is to achieve improvements in cancer control in Canada by being a catalyst for a coordinated approach that will…

Our objectives 1.Reduce gaps in knowledge to enhance cancer control 2.Facilitate and accelerate implementation of best available knowledge 3.Optimize quality and access 4.Improve the cancer experience for Canadians

Strong governance and accountability Working in partnership with cancer experts, patients & survivors governments, charities with representation on… –Board of directors –Advisory council –Action groups –Consultations Clearly mapped strategic plan and funding agreement Role as strategic funder – not granter – to accelerate action on cancer control How do we achieve this?

How do we reach our objectives? Acting as a catalyst for a coordinated national approach that will –combine strengths –maximize efforts and resources –achieve significant outcomes in cancer control Being respectful of federal, provincial, territorial roles in health care delivery Ensuring engagement and buy-in for system change and implementation Working in partnership with cancer experts, patients & survivors, cancer agencies, governments, charities

Our Action Groups Standards Surveillance Guidelines Cancer Journey Health Human Resources Focus on patients and equitable access Primary Prevention Reporting on performance of the cancer control domain Screening Accurate & complete information on cancer profile Population-based screening & prevention Environmental exposures to cancer risk factors Leadership Resources Coordination Evaluation Research Coherent implementation plan

Jeff Lozon, Chair Canadian Partnership Against Cancer