As the only Canadian organization focused exclusively on supporting the lung cancer community, Lung Cancer Canada is committed to elevating the voice of our community and advocating for policy change.
As the only Canadian organization focused exclusively on supporting the lung cancer community, Lung Cancer Canada is committed to elevating the voice of our community and advocating for policy change – from implementing and expanding lung cancer screening programs, to ensuring equitable access to promising new lung cancer treatments, and to removing barriers to biomarker testing.
Simply put, screening saves lives. In fact, the Partnership Against Cancer estimates that 24% of deaths can be reduced through lung cancer screening.
That’s why it is so critical that all Canadians at-risk of lung cancer have equitable access to screening no matter where they reside. And that’s why access to lung cancer screening remains a top priority for Lung Cancer Canada.
Since the first screening program in Canada launched as an Ontario pilot in 2017, Lung Cancer Canada, together with its partners, has been advocating tirelessly to have all provinces implement a lung cancer screening program, or to improve upon an existing program through rapid expansion and awareness. We’re also pushing for new approaches such as self-referral to ensure that no one falls through the cracks.
The advances in screening across Canada are a testament to the impact that advocacy can have on public health. But while we celebrate the progress being made, we continue to work towards a future where early detection is the norm, and no one faces the challenges of lung cancer alone.
Thanks to advances in research, technology and our understanding of the disease, the treatment landscape for lung cancer has changed significantly in recent years, leading to better outcomes and survival rates, and transforming lung cancer from a largely incurable disease to one where targeted therapies and immunotherapy offer hope for many individuals and their loved ones.
To ensure that Canadians impacted by lung cancer can benefit from these advances, Lung Cancer Canada continues to be actively engaged on the issue of access to treatments.
In Canada, once Health Canada approves a drug for use, the public drug programs and cancer agencies need to determine if the drug will become eligible for public reimbursement. Canada’s Drug and Health Technology Agency (CADTH) plays a key role in that determination through its drug reimbursement review process. For Quebec residents, INESSS conducts its own cost-effectiveness reviews of new treatments.
Lung Cancer Canada has been very active in ensuring that both the clinician and patient voice are heard, and that their perspectives and expertise are thoroughly considered in these reviews. To that end, Lung Cancer Canada provides evidence-based clinician input (through our Medical Advisory Committee) and patient experience input for all lung cancer treatments under review.
In 2023, written submissions were provided for eight specific treatments.
Lung Cancer Canada believes in the power of partnership. Engagement in strategic partnerships and coalitions with provincial, national and international organizations are fundamental pillars of our approach to policy change – demonstrating a unified voice; fostering innovation; amplifying our messages; and increasing our reach.
Following are some of the partnerships and coalitions that Lung Cancer Canada is currently engaged in to advance its mission and further the interests of the lung cancer community:
A collaborative coalition of patient advocates, clinicians, academic centers, and companies united by a vision that all Canadian cancer patients, regardless of where they live, should receive timely and appropriate advanced molecular testing in order to receive the optimal therapy for them, giving them the greatest chance of treatment success and the greatest opportunity to live their best life.
A national alliance of patient organizations, professional associations, and life sciences companies advocating to ensure Canadians have access to high-quality cancer care when and where they need it, towards the goal of improving cancer survivorship in Canada.
The united voice of more than 30 Canadian patient groups, cancer health charities, and caregiver organizations from across the country, joining together with oncologists and cancer care professionals to significantly improve the affordability and accessibility of cancer treatment.
The international voice of the lung cancer community, the Global Lung Cancer Coalition is committed to improving disease outcomes, and to facilitating the sharing of best practices amongst its members.
Its programmatic efforts are focused around four key areas: placing lung cancer squarely on the global health agenda; lessening the stigma of lung cancer; empowering lung cancer patients and their loved ones to take a more active role in their care; and effecting change in relevant legislative and regulatory policies to optimize treatment and care of lung cancer patients.
A coalition of patient groups working together to promote greater education and understanding of cancer therapies to ensure Canadians have equal, timely access to these therapies, companion diagnostics and supportive care.
A group of more than 60 non-profit organizations representing all cancer types and all regions of Quebec, which aims to improve the health care system in Quebec for the good of those affected by cancer.
A coalition of health charities and patient advocates focused on improving access to lung cancer screening.
