opinion: on world cancer day, it's time to unite our voices to make cancer care better

with the union for international cancer control’s close the care gap campaign for world cancer day now in its second year, the global cancer community is being called upon once again to unite our voices and take action on february 4.

in late 2022, the canadian cancer society, in collaboration with statistics canada and the public health agency of canada, released a special report on cancer prevalence , which found that there are currently over 1.5 million people in canada living with or beyond cancer. that number has steadily risen over the last decade. two in five canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

cancer is one of our most pressing health issues this year

we’re at a pivotal moment in time to transform canadian cancer care. like in many parts of the world, the pandemic has strained canada’s health-care system and exposed its many gaps and vulnerabilities. through a recent patient and caregiver survey conducted by the canadian cancer society, we continue to hear from canadians about the prolonged impacts the pandemic is having — from wait times to delays to escalating anxieties and caregiving burdens. we also hear from people directly who share these concerns and want their voices heard.

cancer care in canada is overdue for a transformation according to canadian cancer society’s andrea seale. getty

change is urgently needed. we can’t afford to stall on this when lives are in the balance. last year alone, over 230,000 canadians were expected to be diagnosed with cancer. while exhausted health-care providers are busy doing their very best to get canadians the life-saving treatments and screenings they need, decision-makers have been tasked with planning for the rising demand being placed on an already fragmented cancer care system. we must do everything in our power to ensure that the cancer care system in canada will get better.

those of us in the cancer community can do our part by finding ways to unite and amplify the voices of people with cancer and their loved ones, bringing their lived experiences to the forefront. this year, we’re doing that through our get better card-writing campaign by calling on elected officials to listen to canadians’ stories and the challenges they face when accessing and receiving cancer care.

we hear about people who were not screened for cancer early enough who were diagnosed with a later stage cancer that is harder to treat. we hear stories of people having to spend hundreds of dollars to get immune-boosting injections after a stem cell transplant. and we hear from people whose life-saving treatments are delayed multiple times, several months at a time, which can feel like an eternity.

we challenge decision-makers to shift ideas into action and work with us to make cancer care better at all stages of the cancer experience. this includes improving palliative care and the early detection of cancer, reducing backlogs and delays, and making drugs more easily accessible.