A cancer diagnosis comes with a lot of fear and uncertainty. Too many Canadians continue to experience this daily. Thanks to promising developments in cancer prevention, research, and treatment Canadians are experiencing improved health outcomes for certain cancers, including lower incidence and mortality rates.
Today, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced an $80 million investment, over four years, to the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI) for its work in precision oncology research. Precision oncology is an approach to cancer care that helps doctors determine a more personalized treatment for patients based on the genetic and biological makeup of cancer cells. This personalized approach reduces harmful side effects, including reducing damage to healthy cells, and makes the treatment more likely to work.
Over the past six years, the TFRI established the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network, a network of institutions working toward a national strategy for precision oncology research. The Network and the TFRI created a data repository with the genome sequences of cancerous tumors from over 16,000 patients. This data will help inform research into why some people respond to cancer treatments while others do not, which in turn could help us find better treatments for patients. Investments by the Government of Canada in this area will continue to be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Network and the TFRI, reflecting a shared and sustained commitment.
Through this investment, the Government of Canada is reaffirming its commitment with the G7 to accelerate the fight against cancer and to strengthen our actions to advance cancer research.
