February 4, 2022
Dr. John Bell, Scientific Director and Dr. Stéphanie Michaud, President & CEO BioCanRx
Access to life-saving cancer diagnosis and treatment should be equitable for all. Yet there is an equity gap that is costing lives. Today is World Cancer Day – a global effort to unite the world’s population in the goal to eradicate cancer. This year’s theme is ‘Close the Care Gap.’
The Union for International Cancer Control reports that half of the world’s population lacks access to a full range of essential health services. “When it comes to cancer, many of us are denied basic care, despite the fact that we live in a time of awe-inspiring advancements in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.” This is due to differences in income, education levels, geographical location and discrimination based on ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and lifestyle.
10 million people worldwide died of cancer in 2020. In Canada, cancer continues to be the leading cause of death. Of the nearly 1 in 2 Canadians diagnosed in their lifetime, about 1 in 4 is expected to die of cancer. The true human cost, however, extends beyond loss of life to include long-term side effects of treatment, and physical, emotional and financial implications for patients and their support networks. Nine out of ten Canadian families affected by cancer report some form of financial challenge due to declining income and increasing household expenses. Cancer costs Canadians more than $20B per year from a combined loss of wages, taxes, corporate profits and direct healthcare costs.
COVID-19 forced an abrupt halt to life-saving cancer screening, tests and treatments as precious healthcare resources were shifted to the pandemic response. The world health community anticipates a significant rise in late-stage diagnosis and mortality in the months and years to come. Resuming where we have left off in cancer care is not an option.
BioCanRx is proud to take part in World Cancer Day. Our network of investigators and partners from patient groups, industry, not for profits and government organizations are working to find new ways to enable the body’s own immune system to outsmart and kill cancer. We are accelerating the development of leading-edge immune oncology therapies. We are focused on connecting required expertise and infrastructure to give Canadian patients more access to the most promising novel cancer immunotherapies through clinical trials, today. Our mission is to translate research and accelerate the speed at which the public will start to benefit from research investments.
Access to life-saving cancer diagnosis and treatment should be equitable for all. Make your voice heard this World Cancer Day and let’s close the gap!
Learn more about World Cancer Day
Learn more about BioCanRx
