The Canadian Cancer Society has just released its annual report. According to his statistics, two out of five Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. One in four Canadians will die. This makes cancer the leading cause of death in the country.
For the year 2021, it is estimated that 84,600 people will have died of cancer. This means that three times more people die from cancer than from COVID-19. And yet, it cannot be said that the fight against cancer has received the same attention in recent months.
February 4 marks World Cancer Day. This year, this day has a special character. Delays in cancer detection and diagnosis due to the pandemic will lead to an expected increase in advanced cancer diagnoses. From now on, our decisions and our actions will be decisive for the ability of our health system to deal with this latent crisis.
That said, we cannot wait until the pandemic is over to look at the future of cancer care and strengthening the healthcare system. Some problems are obvious and will need to be corrected quickly.
First, by consulting the report of the Canadian Cancer Society, it is with disappointment that we note once again that Quebec is distinguished by its lack of participation in Canadian statistics or by the obsolescence of the data collected. Indeed, the Quebec data cited in this report is based on the Quebec tumor registry, which dates from 2010.
A complete and up-to-date Québec Cancer Registry (RQC) is the basic tool that allows us to evaluate our performance and target objectives. A comprehensive registry of cancer cases, treatment outcomes, survival rates and complication rates is necessary to equip us with an informed strategy in our fight against cancer.
Next, the very governance of oncology in Quebec needs to be reviewed. Unlike the largest university or hospital centers in the world, there are no (or few) oncology departments in Quebec. It is an aberration which is observed nowhere else. This retrograde vision limits oncology to a diluted place in the organization of care. Quebec certainly has its program to fight cancer, but its action is more symbolic than concrete.
A delay is also noted in the still timid shift towards personalized medicine, which involves carrying out large-scale biomarker tests. Research in oncology allows us to see that the tumors of each patient have characteristics that are unique to them. An in-depth analysis of biomarkers would make it possible to target treatments individually.
Finally, the journey of the patient, accompanied by his caregiver, must be simplified and begin with an integration of the medical file, regardless of the environment in which the patient is cared for. A single, comprehensive electronic record is critical to achieving quality of care goals and sharing information to all patient care partners, including family physicians.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on how mobilization and cohesion are possible when priorities are aligned and shared by all the different players in the health system.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Quebec: care for cancer patients and support for the next caregivers who accompany them must be prioritized and receive all the attention and energy they deserve.