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)
Developing Clinician-Initiated Reimbursement Submissions in Paediatric Cancer; Applications and Process Standardization
Novel treatments continue to emerge for pediatric cancers which demonstrate significant improvements in survival. For a new therapy to be funded by provincial health payers, reimbursement authorities like Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA) require evidence of clinical efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness, summarized through a health technology assessment (HTA). This project aims to develop a standardized process, and set of technical materials, to expedite clinician-led HTA submissions for novel pediatric cancer therapies.
Investigators: Dr. Petros Pechlivanoglou, Dr. Sumit Gupta, Dr. Paul Gibson, Dr. Avram Denburg.
Funding: Garron Family Cancer Centre (2025-2028)
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
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
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