colab
we are not here to fit in
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designed for
systems change
the cancer collaborative is a catalyst for change, where disruptive ideas and creative strategy come together to challenge systems, influence policy, and drive real impact for people affected by cancer.
#KNOWVEMBER
IS PRECISION ONCOLOGY AWARENESS MONTH
this month is about understanding the science that’s already changing the future of cancer care and the work we do all year to make it accessible to everyone.
where access breaks down
provincial variation
Which tests are available, how they’re funded and how testing is arranged can differ across provinces. Access and turnaround times can also vary between hospitals within the same province.
drugs & diagnostics move separately
Cancer drugs have established pathways for regulatory approval, assessment and price negotiation. But the tests needed to guide their use follow different funding pathways, with decisions made provincially—and sometimes within individual hospitals. A drug can be funded without the testing needed to identify who could benefit.
capacity & expertise
Precision oncology needs equipped labs, trained staff and connected data systems—plus the clinical expertise to select tests, interpret results and guide care. Gaps in any of these can delay testing or limit how results are used.
equity
Distance from specialist care, financial pressures, language barriers and systemic discrimination can make testing and follow-up harder to access. Even when testing identifies a treatment option, access to the matched therapy or a clinical trial may remain out of reach.
what we're working to change
colab connects what people experience in care with the policy and funding decisions that shape access and advocates for changes that make precision oncology work for more people.
connect treatment and testing access
Advocating for testing to be considered alongside the treatments that depend on it, with clearer links between assessment, funding and implementation.​
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prepare for what’s next
Use emerging evidence and treatment advances to identify testing needs and bring them into policy and funding discussions earlier.
close gaps in testing access
Push for more consistent access to timely, appropriate biomarker testing, so where someone receives care does not determine the options available to them.
bring more perspectives into decisions
Connect patients, caregivers, clinicians, laboratory teams, advocates, industry and decision-makers so that work on access reflects both experiences of care and the realities of delivering it.
strengthen the capacity to deliver
Bring attention to the laboratory resources, workforce, data systems and clinical expertise needed to turn testing into informed treatment decisions.
the next wave of treatments needs testing to keep pace.
colab’s ASCO 2026 report highlights advances that depend on testing to identify treatment options, detect emerging resistance and determine when chemotherapy may be avoided. These findings raise practical questions for Canada: which tests need funding, when testing should happen and whether laboratories and care teams have the capacity to deliver and act on results in time.
advocating for better access to biomarker testing.
OUR ADVOCACY
what you can do
Whether you’re navigating care, supporting a community, delivering testing or shaping policy, there are practical ways to move precision oncology forward. Explore tools and actions for your role.
people with cancer & caregivers
Your voice matters, in your care and in changing what comes next. Use the resources to understand testing and to get involved. Share your story, take the survey or send a letter calling for better access. Share the campaign with your community and invite others to get involved. Help make testing access a priority that decision makers cannot ignore.
advocates & patient organizations
Your community’s experiences belong in the decisions that shape care. Use the resources to explain testing, support informed conversations and strengthen your advocacy. Share the campaign through your networks, invite people to tell their stories and take the survey, and use the letter templates to call for better access. Help bring your community’s priorities to decision makers
clinicians & labs
Your experience shows what it takes to turn testing into care and where the system needs to improve. Share your perspective, highlight barriers and help us advocate for the capacity and support needed to deliver timely testing. Use the resources with patients and colleagues, contribute an update to the access map or record a short video about your work. Bring the campaign into conversations with your team and leadership.
policymakers & system leaders
Your decisions can help connect advances in precision oncology with the services people need to benefit from them. Use the evidence and resources to identify gaps in funding, capacity and delivery. Read the testing executive brief, hear from patients and frontline teams, and bring testing access into planning and budget discussions. Share the campaign with colleagues and turn those conversations into concrete commitments.
industry
Closing the gap between innovation and access is a shared responsibility. Industry can help make the case of sustainable access to testing that benefits health systems and people. Share the campaign, contribute a non-promotional perspective and use the toolkit to start conversations within your organization. Work with partners on access challenges, with transparency and shared public benefit at the centre.
looking for support for a specific cancer?
our partners lead disease specific information and support
colab | #KNOWvember
independent, non-promotional information on precision oncology and biomarker testing in canada, from the cancer collaborative | le collaboratoire cancer. reviewed and refreshed every year.
explore
know the science
know the stories
know the system
KNOWVEMBER
biomarker awareness day
testing experience survey
who is doing what in precision oncology
access across canada
for advocates & patient groups
for providers
for industry
for health system leaders
colab's advocacy work in precision oncology