What Happens After the “All Clear”? Breast Cancer Canada Calls for Urgent Action to Support Canadian Breast Cancer Survivors
As more younger Canadians are being diagnosed with breast cancer and survival rates continue to improve, Breast Cancer Canada (BCC) is calling on greater government investment to address an urgent, under-funded and critical gap in cancer care.
“Surviving breast cancer is no longer enough,” said Kimberly Carson, CEO of Breast Cancer Canada. “It’s called survivorship—patients who are living longer and are younger than ever before, yet continue to face long-term physical, emotional, and financial challenges after treatment ends.”
BCC is launching a national survivorship strategy, its fifth strategic pillar, focused on advancing research, innovation, and support systems that help Canadians live well beyond diagnosis.
“The conversation around breast cancer must evolve, and our emphasis must now be on what happens after a doctor gives a patient the ‘all clear’,” Carson warns. “Governments, healthcare systems, and researchers must act now to invest in survivorship care, quality of life, and long-term wellbeing.”
As part of this initiative, BCC also announced the appointment of breast cancer survivor, researcher, advocate and professor in the faculty of medical education at Harvard Medical School, Adina Isenberg as its new Chief Healthcare Transformation Officer, leading the organization’s survivorship and innovation agenda.
“I have lived this — twice,” explains Isenberg. “Cancer does not end when treatment does. It follows you into your work, your family and every aspect of your life.”
“As a survivor, researcher and advocate working at the intersection of policy and AI-driven innovation, I know the gap doesn’t close at diagnosis — it persists through every stage of survivorship. We have the science, the data and now the mandate to change that,” adds Isenberg.
At last week’s ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago, Breast Cancer Canada announced AstraZeneca Canada as its Founding Research Partner for Survivorship, backed by a $200,000 investment. The matched grant funded by Breast Cancer Canada and AstraZeneca calls to address gaps in care and improve survivorship for Canadians living beyond breast cancer.
“At AstraZeneca, we’re driven by a bold ambition: to eliminate cancer as a cause of death, and that ambition extends beyond treatment to ensuring every survivor has access to the care and innovation they need to thrive,” says Dave Finlay, Franchise Head – Breast Cancer, AstraZeneca Canada. “We’re honored to be the founding research partner for Breast Cancer Canada’s Survivorship Strategic Pillar and to support Canadian researchers addressing critical gaps in survivorship care. This partnership reflects our commitment to turning bold ambitions into meaningful progress for patients across Canada.”
With breast cancer survival rates continuing to improve, there is a growing need to ensure survivorship is fully integrated into cancer care planning. Breast Cancer Canada remains committed to advancing all patient-centred initiatives that improve quality of life and outcomes for all Canadians affected by breast cancer.
For more information, please visit breastcancer.ca.
About Breast Cancer Canada
Breast Cancer Canada is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to funding breast cancer research across all stages of the disease. The organization is committed to improving outcomes for Canadians through research, advocacy, education and patient support.
Media Contact
Angela Marlatt, CFRE
Vice President, Mission & Advocacy
Breast Cancer Canada
amarlatt@breastcancerprogress.ca
800-567-8767 ext. 707
From left to right: Kim MacDonald – National Patient Advocate, Breast Cancer Canada; Janice Carr-Meisner – Vice President, Medical, Breast Cancer Canada; Dr. Mita Manna – Medical Oncologist and Chair, REAL Canadian Breast Cancer Alliance; Shaniah Leduc – Chair, Board of Directors, Breast Cancer Canada; Kimberly Carson – Chief Executive Officer, Breast Cancer Canada; Adina Isenberg – Chief Healthcare Transformation Officer, Breast Cancer Canada; Dave Finlay – Head of Breast Cancer, AstraZeneca Canada.
