
PRECISION MEDICINE

precision medicine has the potential to change the way we think about, identify and manage cancer care. the impact on both clinical research and patient care will grow as our understanding and technologies improve and precision medicine and biomarkers will transform the delivery of cancer care to benefit both patients and cancer care systems.
the european commission defined [2015] personalised medicine as “a model of medicine that uses the molecular profile [phenotypes and genotypes] for tailoring the right therapeutic strategy for the right person at the right time, and | or to determine the predisposition to disease and | or to deliver timely and targeted prevention” working in collaboration, we can greatly improve access to precision medicines and biomarkers, with a flexible regulatory framework that accelerates access, encouraging policies that invest in and support the use of precision medicines and biomarkers, and educating on the potential effectiveness and efficiency precision medicine and biomarkers can make in our health care system.
precision medicine is rapidly having an impact on how drugs are discovered and developed; how patients are diagnosed and treated; and how health care delivery is channeling its resources to maximize patient benefits. precision medicine is having an important impact in clinical care, the great potential to improve the quality of patient care and to help contain health care costs and it should be directed at individual patients through the practice of medicine rather than through regulatory action.


PRECISION MEDICINE AWARENESS MONTH COMES BACK IN 2021 WITH COLORECTAL CANCER CANADA AND LYMPHOMA CANADA
Montréal, October 29, 2021 – The promise of precision oncology has yet to benefit all cancer patients, disparities in genomic testing, inability to access genomic tests and targeted therapies, and delays in testing create an inconsistent landscape across the country are just some of the challenges Canada is faced with. Precision Medicine Awareness Month is meant to raise awareness about precision medicine, specifically precision oncology and to educate people living with cancer with the knowledge to confidently ask for genomic testing when appropriate to ensure more consistency and access to genomic testing.
This year Colorectal Cancer Canada and Lymphoma Canada are joining the cancer collaborative to help spread the message on the importance of precision medicine and its impact for cancer patients in Canada, but also the impact it can have on healthcare systems if implemented consistently across the country.


understanding biomarkers
because we know that cancer can be highly variable from one person to the other, based on the changes at the molecular level, each patient, even those with the same diagnosis, have a unique set of changes that influence how a person will respond to therapy, or how...

understanding precision medicine
since chemotherapy was introduced in the 1940, cancers have been treated according to the organ or tissue where the cancer has originated [eg. lung or breast cancer]. in precision medicine, sometimes referred to as precision...
How Wearable Technologies are Creating New Clinical Trial Endpoints
this is a guest article and does not necessarily reflect the views and values of the cancer collaborative. the original article was created by Impetus Digital and can be found here. Wearable technologies are gaining a lot of interest as a means of data collection in...
what are biomarkers
understanding cancer - cancer is a disease that is characterized by abnormal cell process involving uncontrolled cell growth and proliferation that alters normal cell behaviour. the genetic alterations within the cancer cells will be manifested by the release of...
precision medicine awareness month launches in canada
throughout the month of november, the cancer collaborative in collaboration with the european cancer patients coalition [ECPC] will highlight the growing role that precision medicine plays in oncology through the CRACKING THE CANCER CODE campaign. the premise of...
#travelwithcolab
this year promises to be another filled with interesting conversations, dynamic dialogues and learning, lots of learning - across the globe. learning from different experiences, various perspectives, understanding how things are done outside of canada and taking those...
ASCO 2020 clinical advances of the year
ASCO has published their annual report on progress against cancer - the report highlights the most important clinical research advances of the past year and identifies priority areas where ASCO believes research efforts should focus moving forward. this year the...
the future of healthcare is personalized.
rapid advances of the molecular pathways that underlie cancer combined with an expansion of the tools at our disposal to diagnose and treat based on these specific genomic features has paved the way for precision medicine in cancer and other diseases. and as we...
understanding cancer
cancer is a collection of related diseases that can occur almost anywhere in the body and is characterized by abnormal cell process involving uncontrolled cell growth and proliferation that alters normal cell behaviour. there are over 100 types of cancers, and in all...
car-t. hype or hope
a few weeks ago, I attended the canadian agency for drugs and technologies in health [CADTH] symposium in edmonton, AB. the opening plenary discussion was on 'the hope and hype' in healthcare. your perspective on this, of course, depends on how you’re looking at...