Question Period Note: Pediatric Cancer

N/A

• Budget 2021 committed $30M over 2 years, for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to address gaps in pediatric cancer research.
• In addition to supporting research on COVID-19, it is essential to continue supporting research in other areas of health.
• That is why Budget 2021 committed $30 million dollars to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to fund targeted research into pediatric cancer.
• This funding will support promising research projects with the greatest potential for fighting pediatric cancers, and will establish a foundation for coordinated research and knowledge mobilization within this area in Canada through the creation of a Pediatric Cancer Consortium. This consortium will cover the cancer control continuum from prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. In addition, this funding will improve the research pipeline, advance equitable access care and maximize research impact and knowledge mobilization.
• These investments will help improve health systems and health outcomes for pediatric cancer patients and their families. The funding opportunity for the Consortium rec

Cancer is one of leading causes of disease-related deaths in Canadian children over the age of one month. While childhood cancer accounts for less than 1% of all new cancer cases in Canada, it was estimated that 1000 children and youth (aged 0-14 years) would be diagnosed with cancer in 2019. In general, it is recognized that cancers in children act differently and are found in different organs than in adults while tumors in children tend to grow and spread throughout the body more quickly. In recognition of the significant impact that pediatric cancer has on both individuals and their families and caregivers, additional support is needed to increase access to clinical trials, the development of a pediatric cancer drug discovery program and increased funding for pediatric cancer research.

As Canada’s federal health funding agency, CIHR’s strong connections to the pediatric cancer research and advocacy communities in Canada position it to deliver on this important priority and enhance pediatric cancer research from a national perspective. Between 2016-17 and 2020-21, CIHR invested over one billion dollars in cancer research, including more than $49 million specifically on pediatric cancer, while also building strong connections to the pediatric cancer research and advocacy communities across Canada.

With this new investment, CIHR has launched a research initiative on pediatric cancer, leveraging its Project Grant competition to support excellent research projects, and through a new funding opportunity, will catalyze the creation of a Pediatric Cancer Consortium.

The Consortium will advance a shared vision to collaborate and produce research that can help inform policy and practice predicated on better science, better access, and better coordination to improve lives of pediatric cancer patients and their families and caregivers. An interconnected Consortium will bring together the ecosystem of pediatric cancer research platforms, networks, research teams, policy makers and people with lived/living experience, Indigenous communities and organizations, healthcare providers and other entities.

The Consortium will work to establish core research platforms and projects that will advance priority areas such as:
• Personalized genomic medicine;
• Cell-based therapies;
• Quality of life for pediatric oncology patients throughout the life course, including the prevention of longer adverse effects (or late effects) of pediatric and adolescent cancer treatments;
• Research on equitable and rapid access to medicines.

It is important to note that support for prioritized research on pediatric cancer will not only allow to find innovative solutions to support patients and their families, but to create positions for the highly qualified staff in universities and research institutions. This investment also constitutes an excellent economic stimulant.

The funding opportunity for the Consortium has closed for applications, and the announcement of the successful grant recipients is expected in September 2022.

• While childhood cancer accounts for less than 1% of all new cancer cases in Canada, it was estimated that 1000 children and youth (aged 0-14 years) would be diagnosed with cancer in 2019.
• As we enter the third year of the pandemic, children in Canada have experienced significant changes to their lives and routines which have undoubtedly impacted their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Children needing medical care, such as children living with pediatric cancer, have also been impacted by pandemic restrictions and backlogs.