When will there be a real plan to fight cancer in Quebec?
Posted at 5:00 am
That is essentially the question put to our elected officials last week by the Quebec Prioritize Cancer Coalition, which has spoken out publicly on the campaign trail.
She has summed up our main problem in this file, the importance of which is obvious: we have never really managed to mobilize against cancer with unrelenting determination.
Just like we did with COVID-19, for example.
The Quebec government, like many others around the world, has gone to war against the pandemic. Figuratively, but also literally. At the height of the crisis, soldiers were even dispatched to CHSLDs in the province.
The response was strong.
We don’t need soldiers to fight cancer.
Still, imagine if we invest in Quebec even a fraction of the political will and resources deployed in the context of the pandemic!
A lot would change quickly.
First, there would be a real disease control plan.
Such a strategy would allow setting targets to reduce the impact of cancer on Quebec society. And fight to reach them. Because there is an obligation to result.
others have. France, for example, which has had a detailed anti-cancer strategy since 2003.
Last year, when the country released its latest plan, the country set a goal of reducing the number of preventable cancers by 60,000 a year by 2040 (from the current 153,000). In particular, we also hope to increase the number of screening tests and reduce the percentage of patients who have complications five years after their diagnosis. In total, the strategy comprises almost 240 measures.
If Quebec fought cancer as vigorously as it has against COVID-19, we would also be much more concerned with prevention. Reducing the risk of cancer would become a priority.
We would also focus on research with more enthusiasm. We would increase funding, but also the number of patients who have access to clinical trials. There is an urgent need to speed up and simplify access to research projects, oncology specialists will tell you.
The last major change hoped for – but certainly not the least – is a major shift in data availability.
It’s still amazing to see how many experts yell at each other year after year to get the Health Department to understand that Quebec’s lack of cancer data is as damaging as it is embarrassing.
Our journalist Ariane Lacoursière revealed last June that 12 years after its creation, the Quebec Cancer Registry is still not fully operational.
How are you going to adequately combat a disease if you do not have data that will allow you to know exactly the state of the situation, but also the impact of your various interventions, both treatment and prevention?
At the suggestion of Minister Christian Dubé, we have been regularly distributing a large amount of reliable data on COVID-19 for a long time.
When will the same for cancer?
We took COVID-19 seriously because of the threat it poses to Quebec society.
Do we need to remind you that cancer is now the leading cause of death for both men (35.5% of deaths) and women (31.9%)? This means that approximately 20,000 people die from cancer in Quebec every year.
And unfortunately it should not be further improved in view of the aging of the population.
There will be no shortage of ideas until the end of the campaign to improve our healthcare system. The fight against cancer must be a priority.