Tuesday October 20, 2009
(TORONTO) –
The first-ever detailed examination of a country’s investment in research on
childhood and adolescent cancers was released today by the Canadian Cancer
Research Alliance (CCRA) and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (the
Partnership). The study identified the research focused on childhood and adolescent
cancers from among 7,203 peer-reviewed cancer research projects funded by governmental
and voluntary sector (non-profit, non-government) organizations between 2005
and 2007, and categorized the investment by research areas and types of cancer.
“Cancers
affecting children and adolescents are different from the ones found in adults.
Research on how these cancers begin and what causes them within this population
is key to advancing our understanding of how to prevent or stop the disease in
young people,” explains Dr. Paul Grundy, Chair of C17, which
represents all the Canadian childhood cancer and blood disorder centers, Director
of Pediatric Hematology Oncology and Palliative Care at Stollery Children's
Hospital in Edmonton, and advisor on this report.
“Due
to significant developments in treatment, 80% of children will survive at least
five years after receiving a cancer diagnosis. This means there are more
survivors of childhood cancers living with the long-term effects of their
cancer or the treatment they received. Research on how to reduce these adverse
effects and help the growing number of survivors and families cope is vital.”
For
the period studied, research investment focused on understanding the causes of
childhood and adolescent cancer, and was proportionately double that observed
for cancer overall. Research investment in childhood and adolescent cancer was
also proportionately higher in areas focused on patient care and survivorship,
and the biology of cancer, particularly how genes help turn normal cells into
cancer cells. There was no research investment in cancer prevention
interventions directed at children and adolescents, which may reflect that relatively
little is known about the causes of cancer in this age group.
From
2005 to 2007, a total of $38.1M was invested in research on childhood and adolescent
cancers. This translated into $1 of every $30 invested in peer-reviewed cancer
research funded by governmental and voluntary sector organizations during the
period. The annual investment rose from
$12.4M in 2005 to $13.2M in 2007, representing a 6.5% increase. For the same
period, the annual research investment for all cancers increased by 10.5% from
$364.3M in 2005 to $402.4M in 2007.
Investment in Research on
Childhood and Adolescent Cancers, 2005-2007 is a special section of Cancer Research Investment in Canada, 2007, an annual survey
produced by the CCRA, an alliance of cancer research funding organizations and
affiliated partners working together to enhance the overall state of cancer
research funding in Canada through improved communication, cooperation and
coordination.
“The
information provided by the survey is very valuable to the research community
and has helped to facilitate coordination and planning across organizations,”
says Dr. Elizabeth Eisenhauer, Co-Chair of the CCRA and Research Action Group
Chair at the Partnership. “This report reveals specific insights into
investment in childhood/adolescent cancer research, one important part of the
research continuum. Within the next couple of years, we will release reports
focused on the investment in other key research areas, such as prevention and
survivorship.”
In
addition to funding the CCRA, its annual survey and this special report on
childhood and adolescent cancers, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
supports other programs in the area of cancers in young Canadians. One of these
is the Adolescent and Young Adult Task Force. With funding from
the Partnership, the task force is leading a four-year investigation to better
understand the cancer experience among adolescents and young adults,
particularly the transition from pediatric to adult cancer
centres. Alongside the task force, C17 and the Partnership are
co-sponsoring a workshop called Adolescents and Young Adults with cancer:
Guidelines and research towards better outcomes. The workshop will take
place in Toronto in March 2010.
“By learning more about cancer in young people and
using this knowledge to improve care, we are helping to ensure better outcomes
and treatment opportunities for young Canadians,” says Jessica
Hill, CEO of the Partnership. “We are proud to
be part of these efforts."
Canadian
Cancer Research Survey
The
Canadian Cancer Research Survey is an ongoing activity of the Canadian Cancer Research
Alliance. The survey database is now comprised of information on all cancer
research projects actively funded in calendar years 2005 to 2007 (7,203
projects in total) by 37 funding organizations/programs. All projects within
the database were classified according to type of research and type of cancer.
The Common Scientific Outline (CSO), an international classification system
specific to cancer research, was used to classify research type. The
International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health
Problems, 10th Revision, Version for 2007 (ICD-10) was used to classify cancer
site.
The
term “cancer research investment” is used within the CCRA report to represent
cancer research projects that received some form of peer review, and were
administered by the organizations participating in the survey. Unless otherwise
noted, research projects were included under the organization which
administered the grants and awards programs even in those situations where the
project was funded by more than one organization. The full report, “Cancer
Research Investment in Canada,”
and companion PowerPoint presentations are available at the CCRA web site:
http://www.ccra-acrc.ca/default_en.htm.
The Canadian
Cancer Research Alliance
The
23 member organizations of CCRA are: Alberta Cancer Research Institute; Alberta
Heritage Foundation for Medical Research; BC Cancer Agency; Canadian
Association of Provincial Cancer Agencies; Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation;
Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance; Canadian Cancer Society; Canadian
Institutes of Health Research; CancerCare Manitoba; Cancer Care Nova Scotia;
Cancer Care Ontario; Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec; Genome Canada;
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research; National Research Council of
Canada; New Brunswick Cancer Network; Ontario Institute for Cancer Research;
Prostate Cancer Canada; Public Health Agency of Canada; Saskatchewan Cancer
Agency; The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer; The Cancer Research Society;
and The Terry Fox Foundation.
The Canadian
Partnership Against Cancer
The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer is an
independent organization funded by the federal government to accelerate action
on cancer control for all Canadians. It brings together cancer survivors,
patients and families, cancer experts and government representatives to
implement the first pan-Canadian cancer control strategy. The Partnership’s
vision is to be a driving force to achieve a focused approach that will help
prevent cancer, enhance the quality of life of those affected by cancer, lessen
the likelihood of dying from cancer, and increase the efficiency of cancer
control in Canada.
For more information, visit: www.partnershipagainstcancer.ca.
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For
more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Kim Badovinac
Manager, CCRA Canadian Cancer
Research Survey
Tel.
(416) 915-9222, ext. 5739
Email: info@ccra-acrc.ca
List of Figures
Figure 1. Distribution of investment
in childhood and adolescent cancer research, Canada, 2005-2007
Figure 2. Cancer research investment
(in dollars), 2005-2007
Figure 3. Distribution of cancer
research investment by sector of funding organization, 2005-2007
Figure 4. Distribution of
site-specific cancer research investment and new cancer cases for most common
cancers
Figure 5.
Distribution of cancer
research investment by research focus, 2005-2007
FIGURE 2.
Cancer research investment (in
dollars), 2005-2007
FIGURE 3.
Distribution of cancer research
investment by sector of funding organization, 2005-2007
[1]
Multi-funded initiatives involve funding partnerships between federal
government and voluntary sector organizations.
FIGURE 4.
Distribution of site-specific cancer research investment
and new cancer cases for most common cancers
FIGURE 5.
Distribution of cancer research
investment by research area, 2005-2007
