The impact of childhood cancer on the socioeconomic outcomes of survivors and their families

This project will study the impact of paediatric cancer on the income, employment, and education outcomes of survivors, parents, and siblings. In collaboration with Statistics Canada, we will create a national dataset that contains information on childhood cancer diagnoses and treatment, linked to birth, death, tax, and education records, which will help us to follow the economic trajectory of survivors and their families for decades after cancer treatment. Results from this project will help describe the types of survivors and family members who struggle financially after a childhood cancer diagnosis and inform the development of supports.

Team members:

  • Nominated principal applicant: Dr. Petros Pechlivanoglou
  • Co-principal applicants: Dr. Sumit Gupta and Dr. Paul Nathan
  • Co-investigators: Dr. Beverley Essue, Dr. Paul Gibson, Dr. Stuart Peacock, Dr. Jason Pole, Dr. Asma Ahmed, Ms. Julie Chessell, Dr. Hallie Coltin, Dr. Avram Denburg, Mr. Giancarlo Di Giuseppe, Ms. Leanne Findlay, Mr. Jay Onysko, Dr. Elenor Pullenayegum, Dr. Michael Taccone, Dr. Robin Yabroff

Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2024-2025) / Canadian Cancer Society (2024-2027)

Physical, psychological, financial late effects and health-care use in survivors of adolescent and young adult cancer: A population-based study

This grant aims to utilize a suite of health-care databases in Ontario, Canada that capture all contacts with the health-care system. We will identify over 100,000 survivors of AYA cancer through cancer records and compare them to over 500,000 individuals without cancer to study physical, mental, and functional effects of surviving AYA cancer, determine risk factors for developing late effects of cancer therapy and study health-care utilization patterns.

Team members:

  • Principal investigators: Dr. Paul Nathan, Dr. Sumit Gupta
  • Co-investigators: Dr. Nancy Baxter, Dr. Jason Pole, Dr. Amirrtha Srikanthan, Dr. Rinku Sutradhar, Dr. Yan Yuan

Funding: United States Department of Defense (2022–2025)

Evaluation of a system-wide surveillance system for late effects of treatment in childhood cancer survivors in Ontario (ONLOOP)

We will design an electronic system for survivors of childhood cancer in Ontario to receive reminders about screening tests that can help detect late effects of cancer therapy. We will test the effectiveness of this system in a randomized clinical trial to determine whether it improves screening and has the potential to be transitioned into a sustainable provincial program.

Team members:

  • Principal investigator: Dr. Noah Ivers
  • Co-investigators: Dr. Laura Desveaux, Dr. Colleen Fox, Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, Dr. Sumit Gupta, Dr. Ruth Heisey, Dr. David Hodgson, Dr. Aisha Lofters, Dr. Paul Nathan, Dr. Justin Presseau, Dr. Jennifer Shuldiner; Dr. Michael Taccone, Dr. Monica Taljaard, Dr. Kednapa Thavorn

Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2022–2026)

Improving outcomes across the cancer journey for adolescents and young adult with central nervous system tumours: The IMPACT-CNS cohort

This grant aims to build a database of all AYA aged 15–29 who were diagnosed with a brain tumour in Ontario between 1992–2017 (called IMPACT-CNS). From medical charts, we will record information on their disease, treatment, and outcomes (recurrence, survival). After linking to health-care databases that can identify all hospitalizations, visits to doctors and visits to the emergency room, we will use this database to answer different research questions to improve care for these patients.

Team members:

  • Principal investigators: Dr. Ute Bartels, Dr. Sunit Das, Dr. Sumit Gupta
  • Co-investigators: Dr. Nancy Baxter, Dr. Cynthia Hawkins, Dr. David Hodgson, Dr. Mary Jane Lim-Fat, Dr. Paul Nathan, Dr. Jason Pole, Dr. Teresa Purzner, Dr. Rinku Sutradhar, Dr. Derek Tsang

Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2021–2026)

Optimizing outcomes in survivors of childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer

This grant aims to conduct research studies that inform Precision Survivor Care, so that we can ensure survivors of childhood and teenage cancer receive the most appropriate health care based on their specific long-term risks, and better understand how to deliver these services in a way that is most cost-effective for Canada’s health-care system.

Team members:

  • Principal investigator: Dr. Paul Nathan
  • Co-investigators: Dr. Melanie Barwick, Dr. Nancy Baxter, Dr. Catherine Goudie, Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, Dr. Sumit Gupta, Dr. Noah Ivers, Dr. David Malkin, Dr. Cedric Manlhiot, Dr. Seema Mital, Dr. Petros Pechlivanoglou, Dr. Jason Pole, Dr. Jennifer Stinson, Dr. Rinku Sutradhar, Dr. Yan Yuan

Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2018–2025)

Rationalizing genetic referral practices in paediatric oncology: An eHealth decision-support tool for identifying cancer predisposition syndromes

Our team’s eHealth decision-support tool MIPOGG (McGill Interactive Pediatric OncoGenetic Guidelines) helps doctors recognize their patients with cancer who need to be referred to Genetics because they are at increased risk of having a cancer predisposition syndrome. This study aims to evaluate the performance of MIPOGG in detecting children with and without a cancer predisposition syndrome in a large childhood cancer patient population. We will also determine MIPOGG’s costs and effects compared with other existing cancer predisposition syndrome detection strategies.

Team members:

  • Principal investigators: Dr. Catherine Goudie; Dr. Petros Pechlivanoglou
  • Co-investigators: Dr. Nandini Dendukuri, Dr. William Foulkes, Dr. David Hodgson, Dr. David Malkin, Dr. Paul Nathan, Dr. Jason Pole, Dr. Anita Villani

Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2018–2024)