toronto doctor improving support for younger women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer

younger women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer have access to very few supportive programs aimed at addressing their unique needs. a new research project in toronto aims to change that.

while there are many supportive educational materials and programs for breast cancer patients, much of that focus is on older women across all stages, or younger women with early-stage breast cancer. “there are a very limited number of studies that assess the needs of younger patients with metastatic breast cancer,” says dr. geoffrey watson, staff medical oncologist at mount sinai hospital. “it is important to recognize that they represent a group that faces unique challenges.”

dr. watson has been chosen to receive a 2023 quality improvement (qi) grant from pfizer canada and rethink breast cancer, a canadian charity that focuses on supporting historically underserved groups. he is heading up a new research effort that will be dedicated to supporting the educational needs of younger metastatic breast cancer (mbc) patients under the age of 40.   

“our goal is to develop an innovative, virtual, educational program that is tailored to their specific physical, emotional, practical, social and psychological needs,” he explains.  

he will be applying the grant funds to developing a supportive program that will help patients address those challenges. “while treatments have improved overall survival, we want to find out a bit more about the impact of these diagnoses and treatments on younger patients with mbc and develop a customized patient education platform,” explains dr. watson.   

the project is a multi-disciplinary initiative that is engaging with medical oncology, palliative care, social work, psycho-oncology, nutrition, cancer genetics, and fertility specialists. the outcome of their collective efforts will be a therapeutic alliance that will engage in shared decision making, treatment and symptom management, genetic and fertility counselling, communications, and access to clinical trials, among other resources.  

communications is an especially important area of focus, says dr. watson. “most younger patients in treatment have never discussed the impact of their diagnosis and treatment with family members, which only serves to increase their stress and anxiety. some have young children and have no idea how to communicate with them. others may not understand they have fertility options or need support around financial planning. they need access to specialists that will have those conversations with them.”  

dr. watson is one of three recipients of the 2023 quality improvement grants, joined by researchers from the university of british columbia and the university of calgary. now in its third year, the program is a partnership between rethink breast cancer and pfizer canada.   

the intent of the grant program is to address unmet needs identified by those individuals living with mbc and support research into ways to offer quality-of-life improvements. the recipients will collectively receive over $200,000 in grants for their work in developing innovative strategies to measurably improve the quality of care for people living with mbc.  

“improving the quality of care for canadians living with mbc is critically important,” says guillaume feugère, oncology medical affairs scientist at pfizer canada. “this is why pfizer canada is committed to partnering with organizations such as rethink breast cancer to support projects from experts, like dr. watson.”    

“furthermore, as patients are at the heart of the quality improvement request for proposal (qi rfp) process, they are involved throughout, from defining the care gap to selecting the winners. this helps ensure that we are giving voice to the values and perspectives of those living with mbc.”  

what stands out about this grant is that breast cancer patients are active participants in the selection process, says mj decoteau, founder and executive director of rethink breast cancer. “having patients involved at every point – from criteria development to the review process – is extremely important. it is essential that we give the patient voice the value it deserves.”  

mj decoteau, founder and executive director of rethink breast cancer. supplied

dr. watson commends rethink and pfizer canada for including the patient voice in the selection process. “this grant is unique in the way they bring patients to the table when discussing funding with projects such as ours. we are thrilled to think that patients feel they will really benefit from the work we are doing.”  

he also credits the pynk program team at mount sinai, a group that is specifically focused on the unique needs of young women with breast cancer, as an invaluable source of input and expertise. “i am lucky to have the support of such a great team on this project.  

“we are extremely grateful for this funding from rethink and pfizer canada. as this study will involve engaging a team of research assistants, study coordinators, and patient education specialists, we may not have been able to achieve our goals without it,” he notes.  

dr. watson’s hope is to extend their work beyond local boundaries to medical centres at large. “all of us in this field are working to improve patient outcomes and experiences. a program like this would of course welcome future collaboration and allow for a larger outreach for maximum impact.”  

“the quality improvement grants program demonstrates how patients, caregivers and partners can work together, leaning on each other’s strengths, and create change,” says decoteau. “it has the potential to make an impact beyond mbc in other disease areas. this type of partnership with pfizer canada is the future of making the world a better place.”  

this story was created by content works , postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of pfizer canada.

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toronto doctor improving support for younger women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer

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