Tour de North 2024: Impact - Canadian Cancer Society

Our research

Research has led to new and more effective treatments for childhood cancers and an increase in the number of children who survive into adulthood. CCS is the largest national charitable funder of childhood cancer research in Canada. Over the past 5 years, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) has invested more than $16.4 million specifically towards childhood cancer research including the following projects:

Camp graphic

600

Children, over nine camp sessions, attended Camp Goodtimes in 2023

Research graphic

13%

Increase in survival rate thanks to research

donation graphic

$54M+

Raised in total from Cops for Cancer

Research highlights

Making the mental health of our children a priority

A CCS-funded study led by Dr Sumit Gupta has found that childhood cancer survivors had more medical visits for a mental health complaint compared to the general population, indicating that they were at higher risk of developing mental health challenges. The most common struggles faced by survivors of childhood cancer were depression and anxiety. By identifying a need and a gap in care guidelines, studies such as this are crucial to convince policymakers to direct more resources to support the mental health of childhood cancer survivors and their families.

Breakthrough discovery, changing the future

A breakthrough discovery enabled by CCS funding could dramatically change the way we diagnose and treat the most common brain tumour in children. Dr Michael Taylor and his team showed for the first time that medulloblastoma can spread through the blood, with tumour cells circulating through the body and returning to the brain to establish a secondary tumour. Most medulloblastoma deaths are caused by tumours that have spread so, by understanding how the cancer spreads, researchers can now search for weak spots where they can disrupt the tumour cells’ journey and prevent secondary tumours. Also based on this discovery, doctors in the future could get a tumour biopsy by taking a non-invasive blood sample instead of performing brain surgery. Dr Taylor’s research could not only help save lives, but it could also help people with medulloblastoma have a better quality of life.

Expanding treatment options for multiple myeloma

Each day, roughly 9 Canadians are diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer that starts in the blood. While multiple myeloma often responds to treatment at the beginning, in most cases, the cancer comes back or relapses in a form that is more difficult to treat. As a result, only roughly 4 in 10 people with multiple myeloma will survive for more than 5 years past their diagnosis. Now, a clinical trial conducted by the CCS-funded Canadian Cancer Trials Group has provided evidence that a new treatment approach is safe and effective to treat relapsed or treatment-resistant multiple myeloma. The approach, which combines three drugs in a once-a-week schedule, led to an overall response rate of 85%, with nearly 1 in 3 people having a complete response. The researchers also found that this treatment plan was tolerated well by the study participants, with relatively few and minor side effects. Even though this study did not directly compare this new treatment plan with existing standards of care, the findings point to it being a safe and effective option for people with relapsed multiple myeloma for whom existing treatments no longer work. The once-a-week dosing schedule is also more convenient for the individual receiving care, improving their satisfaction and quality of life.

a group of campers smiling by the water

Camp Goodtimes

Funds raised at Cops for Cancer events help support our national cancer support system for families affected by cancer like Camp Goodtimes, a medically-supervised recreation experience for children and teens affected by cancer and their families.

Learn more about Camp Goodtimes

Camp Goodtimes storytellers

kids sitting outside at a campsite watching two adults as they speak to them

“Camp Goodtimes allowed us to connect with families who have been on a similar journey to ours. It gave us a safe community to engage and share with while enjoying the many activities and experiences camp had to offer.”

-2023 Family Camp Participant

person in a canoe on the water as sun glistens

“I cried when we left. I'm not a cryer. I was just so incredibly grateful and happy to have had that time as a family, a couple and in a community of people who got us. It was the best days we've had since our son's diagnosis nearly a year ago. The joy of watching our kids be kids together was the best. Then seeing them be kids with the friends they made from similar situations. Camp is such a special place. The staff and volunteers are some of the most amazing humans we've ever met. My kids asked to come back next year before we had even left. My husband and I feel the same way. Camp allowed us to reconnect having fun boating and swimming together. We all tried new activities and had some really special moments conquering fears and challenges. Camp Goodtimes is exactly what our family needed as we walk through this difficult time. Thank you to everyone involved for giving us this opportunity to have fun as a family. A much needed reprieve from the world of childhood cancer.”

-2023 Family Camp Family

4 kids at a table as one writes on paper and the others overlook

“My camper has a difficult time coping with "why me" and her diagnosis. Coming to camp and connecting with others has helped her begin to come to terms with a life long condition. At the same time, having so many people around you who are making a safe and beautiful environment to just enjoy life, makes such a difference. So much so, that one day she wants to be a counselor at Brigadoon!”

-2023 Kids Camp Parent

Pediatric Family Counselling Service

In 2019, Pedal for Hope, in collaboration with the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, funded a new professional counselling program by the Canadian Cancer Society that helps Peterborough and Durham area families who have a child with cancer. Under the stress of a child’s diagnosis, many parents wish for professional support and strategies to know what to do and how to take care of everyone’s needs going forward on this journey.

No family can be totally prepared for a child’s diagnosis and the impact it has. Funding from Pedal for Hope helps CCS provide professional counselling to parents, at no cost to them, on ways to keep the family strong, talk with their children about cancer and take care of everyone in the family.

In 2021, the program was expanded to create the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre AfterCare Clinic, that serves thousands of young adult survivors of pediatric cancer. On referral from the AfterCare Clinic, the program provides private professional counselling, at no cost to them, to address the long-lasting emotional and practical problems resulting from cancer, the treatments, and the impact the whole experience can have their lives.

Pediatric Family Counselling Service storytellers

Hearing that your child has cancer is devastating. And it is especially difficult when parents have no one to help them cope with the fear, anxiety and depression that follows. The Canadian Cancer Society has stepped in to organize accessible, professional counselling meeting patient and family needs on the family’s terms. Your generous donations are making it possible for families to better help their child deal with their cancer and survivors of childhood cancer to heal.

- Sandy Nutall, Director, Strategic Projects, Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario

It takes no stretch of the imagination at all to think about what it would be like to have your child diagnosed with cancer. It changes everything, and its impact radiates out to everyone in that child's life. Families need unprecedented amounts of information, support, tools, resources and an unending circle of people who care. Cops for Cancer defines the essence of that circle, and the Pediatric Family Counselling Program generously funded by the Pedal for Hope program is just one important way they support children and their families.

- Holly Bradley, Director, Support Programs, National Support Programs, Canadian Cancer Society

The Pediatric Family Counselling Services has been an invaluable addition to the existing services available for the families of children affected by a cancer diagnosis and the Pedal For Hope Team is proud to be part of such impactful program. We hope that with the continued support of our communities, this initiative will continue to grow and be accessible to even more families, helping them navigate through their journey with cancer.

- The Pedal For Hope Team

Advocacy

We advocate to governments and shape health policies to save lives and make living with cancer easier for children and families across Canada. We do this by:

  • Raising awareness at schools about cancer prevention and healthy living
  • Taking a stand on important pediatric cancer issues
  • Influencing government to adopt policies that help children and families living with cancer and beyond.

Inspiring students and schools

Cops for Cancer has inspired thousands of schools and students across British Columbia for over 25 years. Cops for Cancer participants use their platform as role models in their communities to support children living with and beyond cancer and raise awareness about healthy living and cancer prevention. In 2022, Cops for Cancer connected with 100 elementary and secondary schools in over 80 BC communities.

Advocating for change

The Canadian Cancer Society has been advocating for better support for caregivers of children living with cancer for more than 15 years. Over the years, we were able to work with the government to shape significant changes to the Caregiver Benefit, the EI benefits for Parents of Critically Ill Children and the Compassionate Care Benefits.

Protecting our children from tobacco and vaping

Thanks to your support, advocacy work led by the Canadian Cancer Society is helping to protect youth in Canada from the harms of tobacco and vaping. In 2021, the federal government made significant progress towards holding tobacco companies accountable and adopting e-cigarettes regulations and restrictions.