#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.

FOR HEALTH SYSTEM LEADERS & DECISION MAKERS

connect advances in precision oncology with progress in care.

explore how testing is assessed, funded and delivered across canada, and where changes could improve access. connect evidence with patient and professional perspectives, learn from approaches across jurisdictions, and follow policy developments and opportunities to collaborate year round.

who is doing what

province by province

test access tracker (ctDNA)

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.

changes that make testing equitable across canada

WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR

a national strategy for implementing precision oncology, built with every province and territory, including Québec

investment in capacity (labs, workforce, bioinformatics and data) so results are timely wherever people are treated

decisions that weigh value, not just cost: better matched treatment, avoided harm, less waste

tests funded alongside the drugs that depend on them

what you can do

help people understand biomarker testing, make room for their experiences, and bring their needs into conversations about equitable access. our guide outlines practical ways advocates and patient groups can connect education, lived experience and system change.

[what you can do]

what we're hearing

we are asking patients, caregivers, clinicians and labs to tell us where testing breaks down, the system challenges they encounter, their experiences with (or without testing), the inequities they see or experience, their perspectives, what’s working well that others could learn from, and where they see opportunities to do better.

see the campaign

get briefed (2027)

who is doing what in precision oncology

who is doing what

how testing to access differs from province to province

provincial access

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.