Toolkits

A Breast Cancer Patient's Guide to Precision Oncology in Canada

In the historical approach to treating cancer, treatment plans were mostly determined by location, type, and stage of the cancer. More and more, precision medicine is being used to guide cancer treatment plans.

Precision medicine, also called personalized medicine, is an approach where treatment is tailored to the individual person. When this personalized approach is used specifically for cancer care or cancer research, it is called precision oncology. This approach is now a common strategy in understanding and treating cancer. It looks at both individual patient characteristics and their unique tumour biology to make treatment decisions.

Precision oncology is a vast topic. A Breast Cancer Patient’s Guide to Precision Oncology in Canada is designed specifically for people diagnosed with breast cancer in Canada. This toolkit

• Provides a brief introduction to precision oncology and its general uses in breast cancer care and treatment.
• Focuses on germline (hereditary) and somatic (tumour) testing, including how these tests might impact a person's treatment plan, and how to access these tests in Canada.
• Discusses system gaps and inequities related to accessing germline and somatic testing in Canada.
• Provides advocacy steps to take to ensure equitable access to germline and somatic testing in Canada.

The information this toolkit provides is not exhaustive and is not meant to substitute medical advice.

For more on precision oncology, visit the Resources and References section of this toolkit.

To learn how precision oncology might personally benefit you, speak to your healthcare provider.

Download the toolkit here.

Digital Advocacy and Storytelling Toolkit

Advocacy means working to provide support for a cause, policy, or action. Advocacy is also the pursuit of influencing outcomes. Everyone has the ability to advocate on his or her own behalf or on behalf of others. We advocate because we see a perceived inequality or imbalance. Therefore, when we advocate, we are asking for change. Whether you are meeting with a funder, an elected official or a government representative, and whether you are raising awareness or asking for a policy change, a new program, or for funding, you are advocating.

As an individual diagnosed with breast cancer, you may advocate for your own cause or a collective cause that many breast cancer patients face. While there have been many advances made in the diagnosing, treatment and management of breast cancer, individuals diagnosed with or living with breast cancer still face issues that may need advocacy.

One way to advocate for an issue is to share how it personally affects you, in other words, by sharing your story. This Digital Advocacy and Storytelling Toolkit has been created to help you identify your issue, help you craft how to advocate for your issue via telling your story, determine the appropriate avenue to tell your story and the actions to take as the next steps. Please note that this toolkit should serve as a guideline on how to get started. What the final product will look like will be different for each person and issue.

Using the menu, you can go directly to the section(s) relevant to you. You can also read through the full Digital Advocacy and Storytelling Toolkit (Word | PDF) instead.

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