Tag: Cancer Research

Message from the Minister of Health – Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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From: Public Health Agency of Canada Statement from the Minister of Health, The Honourable Marjorie Michel P.C., M.P. October 8, 2025  | Ottawa, Ontario | Public Health Agency of Canada “Breast cancer remains one of the most common forms of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women in Canada. One in eight women will receive a breast cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.  That’s why the Government of Canada works closely with partners and stakeholders to promote breast cancer awareness, prevention and screening for early detection. Empowering women to make informed decisions about their health can save lives. …Important work is happening to help us better understand breast cancer trends and risks to better respond to the diverse needs of women across Canada. For example, we have partnered with the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health and Statistics Canada to accelerate breast cancer data analysis based on factors such as age, race and ethnicity. As well, experts are enhancing the OncoSim-Breast model that was developed by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and Statistics Canada, by including data on breast density and exploring the inclusion of race-based data to better predict breast cancer outcomes and inform decision making. Breast cancer touches the lives of so many every day. Nobody should have to face this disease alone. If you or a loved one is coping with a cancer diagnosis, there are many ways you can seek support. Visit the Canadian Cancer Society’s community services locator, which helps cancer patients, caregivers and health care providers find the services they need.”

Atlantic PATH – Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

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To round up Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we are highlighting some of the recent and ongoing work on prostate cancer conducted using Atlantic PATH data and biosamples. Flashback to 2023 and welcoming our youngest team member(!) and the Plaid for Dad tradition raising awareness about prostate cancer in Canada. We have ongoing research on prostate cancer exploring environmental exposure to arsenic and cancer risk using toxicological and machine learning methods. This research stream has received and benefitted from funding from Nova Scotia Health, the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute, Prostate Cancer Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, and the New Frontiers in Research Fund. Watch this space for new findings and publications! Related publications to date include: Majouni, S., Kim, J.S., Sweeney, E., Keltie, E., Abidi, S. (2022). Applying Machine Learning to Arsenic Species and Metallomics Profiles of Toenails to Evaluate Associations of Environmental Arsenic with Incident Cancer Cases. Medical Informatics Europe Conference (MIE) Conference Proceedings. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. Keltie, E., Hood, K., Cui, Y., Sweeney, E., Ilie, G., Adisesh, A., Dummer, T.J.B., Bharti, V., Kim, J.S. (2022). Arsenic speciation and metallomics profiling of human toenails as a biomarker to assess prostate cancer cases: Atlantic PATH cohort study. Frontiers in Public Health, 10.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9301242/ Hood, K., Sweeney, E., Ilie, G., Keltie, E., Kim, J.S. (2023). Toenail arsenic species and metallome profiles associated with breast, cervical, prostate, and skin cancer prevalence in the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health cohort. Frontiers in Public Health, Environmental Health and Exposome.  https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1148283/full Smith, N., Keltie, E., Sweeney, E., Weerasinghe, S., MacPherson, K., Kim, J.S. (2022). Toenail speciation biomarkers in arsenic-releated disease: a feasibility study for investigating the association between arsenic expsosure and chronic disease. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 232. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651322001099 The Langille Lab at Dalhousie University has an ongoing research stream on the microbiome. This work has included a focus on prostate cancer. Related publications include: Nearing, J., DeClercq, V., Langille, M. (2023). Investigating the Oral Microbiome in Retrospective and Prospective Cases of Prostate, Colon and Breast Cancer. Nature Biofilms and Microbiomes. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41522-023-00391-7. We have also conducted research on the mental health of prostate cancer survivors compared to those with no history of cancer and those with types of cancer. This work was supported by funding from the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute. Publications to date include: Ilie, G., Rutledge, R., Sweeney, E. (2020). Anxiety and depression symptoms in adult males in Atlantic Canada with or without a lifetime history of prostate cancer. Psycho-Oncology. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.5244 Ilie, G., Rutledge, R., Sweeney, E. (2021). An examination of the role of socioeconomic status in the relationship between depression and prostate cancer survivorship in a population-based sample of men from Atlantic Canada. Oncology, 99(4). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33486485/ Ilie, G., Rutledge, R., Sweeney, E. (2021). Post-Treatment Adverse Health Correlates among Prostate Cancer Survivors in a Sample of Men Residing in Atlantic Canada. Current Oncology, 28(4). https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/28/4/246

CanPath Round Up: Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

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What could you uncover with data from over 3,500 participants with prostate cancer? 🤔💭 With close to 3,000 prevalent cases of prostate cancer within our participant population, CanPath remains committed to continuing to support participants and researchers in uncovering new breakthroughs in prostate cancer prevention, detection and treatment. By collecting biological, genetic and health data from our participants, we can keep track of new and existing cases of prostate cancer to provide researchers with access to invaluable health information to support the next generation of cancer research. 🔗 Get inspired by the latest prostate cancer publications using CanPath data: http://bit.ly/46VMeqJ

Dr. Parveen Bhatti on IARC’s Monographs Programme

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The IARC – International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization’s Monograph program has been reviewing scientific evidence to classify substances and exposures based on their level of cancer risk. It has been instrumental in identifying carcinogenic hazards, providing the scientific foundation for evidence-based policies and regulations that protect populations worldwide. Our colleague, Dr. Parveen Bhatti, Scientific Director of BC Generations speaks about the ways the Monograph program has impacted public health decision-making in Canada. Access his video.

IARC Webinar

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We were pleased to attend a recent presentation by Dr. Elisabete Weiderpass, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), as she discusses IARC’s evolving research and prevention strategies for the global cancer burden. The event was co-hosted by Dr. Fei-Fei Liu, Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Cancer Research, and Dr. Adalsteinn (Steini) Brown, Dean, Dalla Lana School of Public Health Dr. Weiderpass is an expert in cancer epidemiology and cancer prevention, with a particular interest in cancer registration, the understanding of cancers and the implementation of effective prevention strategies. She has published more than 1,000 scientific papers in peer-reviewed international journals. Prior to joining IARC, Dr. Weiderpass served as Head, Department of Research at the Cancer Registry of Norway, and of the Genetic Epidemiology Group at the Folkhälsan Research Center in Finland. She was Professor of Medical Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, and Professor of Cancer Epidemiology at the Arctic University of Norway.

Canadian Cancer Society – Data Saves Lives

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“Data save lives. It’s as simple as that.” ? Thank you to the Canadian Cancer Society for having CanPath at the Cancer Data Community of Practice Workshop in Toronto this March. We were honoured to join this important conversation about improving Canada’s cancer data ecosystem because better data means better outcomes for all Canadians. Dr. Robin Urquhart, Atlantic PATH Scientific Director, says, “Data save lives. It’s as simple as that … How are we going to improve if we don’t know how we’re doing or if we don’t know where we have to improve, right? And data allows us to do that.” Dr. Donna Turner, Manitoba Tomorrow Project Scientific Director, says, “We really can’t manage what we don’t measure … We know that cancer data are actually relatively strong compared to other diseases, but we have so far to go.” A video from the Canadian Cancer Society of seven cancer stakeholders is available on LinkedIn.    

Dr. John Lewis at #CCRC2023

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Dr. John Lewis is a Professor in the Department of Oncology at the University of Alberta and the Bird Dogs Chair in Translational Oncology. Dr. Lewis’ research interests include translational prostate cancer research, and the Lewis Lab utilizes real-time intravital imaging of the tumour microenvironment to learn about the critical steps of cancer progression, including the growth of new blood vessels and the gain of tumour cell motility that leads to metastasis. Using CanPath data, Dr. Lewis created predictive models for diseases using a standardized data analysis platform. These models offer insights into the factors that increase the risk of developing a particular disease. The platform, which has demonstrated superior accuracy in predicting prostate cancer compared to existing models, can now be applied efficiently to predict a range of diseases like cancer, heart conditions, lung diseases, diabetes, and neurological disorders using CanPath questionnaire data. Learn more about how the Lewis Lab uses CanPath data: https://canpath.ca/2022/10/webinar-november-2022/. Dr. Lewis will be presenting at the conference plenary on AI Across the Research Spectrum on Sunday, November 12, at 4:10 pm AST. Dr. Lewis will be speaking on the development and commercialization of machine learning models to predict disease.

Dr. Trevor Dummer and Mohadeseh Ahmadi at #CCRC2023

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Dr. Trevor Dummer will be attending the Canadian Cancer Research Conference. Dr. Dummer is the co-Scientific Director for CanPath, an Associate Professor at the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, the Canadian Cancer Society Chair in Primary Prevention, and Affiliated Scientist, BC Cancer. Dr. Dummer’s research interests include how the environment, communities and neighbourhoods influence health outcomes, including cancer.  Dr. Dummer will be in attendance at the Canadian Cancer Research Conference along with his student, Mohadeseh Ahmadi. Mohadeseh is a MSc student in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. They will be presenting on the association between traffic-related air pollution and breast cancer risk in post-menopausal women in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project in a lightning session on Tuesday, November 14th at 10:40am AST.    

Manitoba Representation at #CCRC2023 (Hrubeniuk, Briek, Katyal)

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The Manitoba Tomorrow Project will be well represented at the Canadian Cancer Research Conference. Dr. Sachin Katyal is an Associate Professor at the University of Manitoba, Senior Scientist at CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute, and Director of the Manitoba Tumour Bank. Dr. Katyal is the Manitoba Tomorrow Project representative on the CanPath National Strategic Advisory Council. Dr. Katyal’s research interests include using advanced molecular, biochemical and genetic techniques to gain insight into the biology of mammalian DNA strand break repair pathways.  Dr. Katyal will be chairing a session on Clinical Innovations in the Real World with Patient Partner Ruth Ackerman on Monday, November 13th at 2:40pm AST. Speakers include   Dr. Tony Reiman (Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute, Dalhousie University, University of New Brunswick) speaking about multiple myeloma and patient partners  Dr. Sheila Singh (Cancer Research Centre, McMaster University) speaking about clonal evolution in recurrent medulloblastoma  Dr. June Carroll (Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Granovsky Gluskin Family Medicine Centre, Sinai Health) speaking about primary care strategies for hereditary cancer risk  Dr. Travis Hrubeniuk is the Project Lead at the Manitoba Tomorrow Project and an Assistant Professor at the Max Rady College of Medicine, Community Health Services, University of Manitoba. Dr. Hrubeniuk’s research interests focus on the relationships between, and the impact of various levels of physical activity, exercise, and sedentary behaviour on cancer and chronic disease throughout the lifespan and the subsequent influences on public health policy.  Dr. Hrubeniuk will be presenting a poster on the Manitoba Tomorrow Project as a cohort built for cancer research. Posters will be up for the duration of the conference and during viewing sessions on Sunday, November 12th from 12-1:30pm AST and Monday, November 13th from 1:10-2:40pm AST.  Noor Briek is a PhD candidate in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba with an interest in population health and a primary focus on cancer epidemiology and pharmacoepidemiology. Noor is also a Research Assistant with the Manitoba Tomorrow Project and has rich practical experience as an international pharmacist since 2003 and a registered pharmacist (RPh) in Manitoba since 2010.  Noor will be presenting a virtual poster on their dissertation work linking drug data from the Manitoba Tomorrow Project Cohort and Administrative Health Databases: Advancing a Long-Term Health Research Platform for Cancer Research. Virtual posters will be accessible via the conference platform to all registered delegates via the virtual poster hall.