Misc | POGO

POGO CEO Reflects on The Childhood Cancer Care Plan One Year After Launch

Posted on September 18, 2019 by admin

Jill Ross, POGO CEO

Q. Looking back on the past year, which accomplishments stand out for you?

The Childhood Cancer Care Plan was developed by over 200 clinical experts, providing care in clinics and at the bedside day in and day out, as well as parents and survivors, system planners and administrators. It has been wonderful to see many of these same individuals along with new participants readily volunteering their time, expertise and experiences to committees and activities that will drive action on the Plan’s goals.

That said, two other items that particularly stand out, are the launch of the newest POGO Satellite Clinic at Peterborough Regional Heath Centre in fall 2018, bringing care closer to home for patients and their families in that part of the province, and the publication of the latest, high-quality Ontario data in Childhood Cancer in Ontario 1986–2015: A Surveillance Report.

Q. The Plan identifies the need for Champions. Describe how Champions have come on board to help implement the Plan.

The Childhood Cancer Care Plan is a system plan. In addition to POGO, it will take the collaborative efforts of survivors, patients and families, clinical care providers of all types, government, donors and others to achieve its goals. An excellent example of this collaboration is POGO’s work on the Plan’s strategic objective to “promote effective and appropriate care for adolescents and young adults (AYA) treated in all settings.” Adolescents and young adults have unique care needs that require us to bring the best from the childhood and adult cancer care systems.

This year, Champions from across the province—clinical specialists from the POGO network and from Cancer Care Ontario’s adult cancer programs, and survivors of AYA cancer, with the support of the Ministry of Health—have joined forces to identify actions that can be taken to improve care.

Q. Specialized donor-funded support for families, research and survivors is a key driver of the Plan’s success. How has the contribution of donors contributed to moving the goals of the Plan forward?

One of the Plan’s five major goals is to optimize the physical health and emotional well-being of survivors of childhood cancer. Survivors have told us that they are in need of practical and informational resources to help them cope with life after a diagnosis of childhood cancer. With the generous support of an anonymous donor to launch a new initiative and continued funding from The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, POGO has been able to enhance our counselling service for adolescent survivors facing challenges completing school and finding work by introducing the Survivor to Survivor (S2S) Network. With the S2S Network, survivors gain practical skills, build their confidence and connect with others, as they create and deliver informational workshops on key issues for fellow survivors. Feedback from participants so far has been outstanding.

Check out S2S workshop topics and hear from
S2S facilitators about their experience

Donors to POGO also support important research aligned with the Plan’s goals.

Q. This is a provincial plan intended to deliver the best possible care for the best possible outcomes for families, young people with cancer, survivors. What tangible differences are already evident for this population?

The POGO network has been working effectively together to continuously improve the system since POGO created the first Provincial Pediatric Oncology Plan (the Plan’s former name) in the late 1980s. Ontario’s outcomes are among the best in the world. Overall survival from childhood cancer is at an all-time high of 86%.

For children facing a diagnosis of cancer, in alignment with the Plan’s goal of “equitable, appropriate and timely access to emerging and evolving oncology drugs, diagnostics and technologies,” POGO ensures pediatric cancer expertise informs new drug funding policies and continues to lead the process to enable access to the latest collaborative clinical research studies for Ontario’s children facing cancer. POGO’s Therapeutic and Technology Advisory Committee of experts from across the province is now in place to continually scan the new science for opportunities to enhance care in Ontario.

Work also continues to enhance long-term outcomes for survivors of childhood cancer. Most survivors need lifelong monitoring to ensure that the late effects of their disease and its treatment are managed in such a way as to ensure the best quality of life possible. Survivors need reliable access to high quality primary and specialty care but, too often, access to primary care is a challenge. POGO’s Integrated Provincial AfterCare Steering Committee, composed of clinical and survivor representatives, aims to connect each survivor with a primary care provider in their home community and to ensure that primary care providers and the cancer specialists work effectively together to provide optimal monitoring.

Q. When we look ahead one year from now, what are some immediate priorities arising from the Plan?

While our clinical outcomes in Ontario are excellent, there are other important outcomes that need concerted attention. In particular, we hear from the clinical team and parents alike that the Plan’s goal about “ensuring integrated psychosocial care,” and objectives to “enhance supportive care” and “meet educational and information needs” are particularly challenging.

POGO’s guidelines program ensures that Ontario has excellent, internationally recognized, evidence-based supportive care guidelines, but more needs to be done to ensure that the recommendations in those guidelines can be put into day-to-day practice. The benefit of guidelines is real; a US children’s hospital, for example, saw a significant decrease in patient vomiting after implementing the POGO guideline for prevention of chemotherapy-induced vomiting. POGO is committed to working with our partners to facilitate evidence-based guideline uptake.

While we made an excellent start this past year, we also have more work to do to meet the Plan’s goal of ensuring “the right data are available and being used to drive an effective childhood cancer system.” We are working with hospital partners to give them the data they need to monitor quality and do local planning, and in turn, contribute to strong province-wide planning. We will also be updating the POGO Surveillance Report this year, and we are working with data partners to improve the information available about AYA cancer.

Most importantly, we look forward to strengthening existing partnerships and developing new ones with organizations that can help advance the Plan’s important goals for childhood cancer patients, families and survivors.

Identifying Increased Risk for a Cancer Predisposition Syndrome

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Claire Slaughter

This POGO-funded research is helping children with its early detection of cancer predisposition syndromes.

Approximately 10% of children diagnosed with cancer have an underlying cancer predisposition
syndrome (syndrome), a condition (often inherited) that increases their risk of developing one or many cancers throughout their life. Genetic testing can be used to identify children with a syndrome, but to avoid unnecessary testing and possible delays, physicians need a way to determine which children to test.

There are over 125 syndromes known to be associated with cancer in children. In some cases, knowing whether a child has a specific syndrome will change the treatment. Identifying a syndrome also allows the healthcare team to develop a care plan to monitor the child for future cancers once treatment is complete, and to recommend monitoring for siblings.

In 2017, Dr. Catherine Goudie was awarded a POGO fellowship for her project “Identifying Children at Increased Risk for a Cancer Predisposition Syndrome: The McGill Interactive Pediatric Oncogenetic Guidelines.” Overseen by principal investigators Dr. David Malkin and Dr. William Foulkes, the project aims to develop an e-Health tool that doctors can use to help them decide which children should be referred for genetic testing.

Related Story : A Genetic Mutation: A Lifetime of Cancer Screening

Prior to becoming a POGO Fellow, Dr. Goudie and her team in Montreal spent three years building
approximately 90 algorithms for each type of childhood cancer. These yes/no questions relate to
items such as the age of the child, features of the tumour and family history. The first version of the
tumour algorithms was reviewed by genetic and oncology experts from Canada, the United States
and the United Kingdom.

The aim of the POGO-funded research was to support Dr. Goudie in her work to evaluate the performance of the tool with children at 11 Canadian hospitals. The evaluation was split into two streams.

Dr. Catherine Goudie, MD, FRCPC

“Our first priority was making sure this tool would do no harm,” says Dr. Goudie. “In order to do this, we looked at patients in Canada who have already been diagnosed with a cancer predisposition syndrome and who developed a cancer in childhood, meaning their physicians successfully identified the syndrome without our tool. We confirmed that our algorithms would have identified these children for genetic referrals at the time of their cancer diagnosis, therefore confirming that the tool performs at least as well as clinicians have.”

The second stream of the evaluation is ongoing and leverages precision medicine research at The Hospital for Sick Children and other hospitals in Canada and the US. These institutions are doing comprehensive genetic sequencing on pediatric cancer patients, meaning that all children undergo genetic evaluation regardless of whether they are suspected to have a syndrome.

“We will test our algorithm on the medical profiles of these children to determine if the tool indicates that the child should be referred for genetic assessment. We will then compare our results with those obtained from the patients who participated in the comprehensive genetic sequencing. Therefore, we are prospectively testing the performance of our tool.”

Dr. Goudie explains that, in most hospitals worldwide, the facilities, human resources, infrastructure, expertise, or funding to offer comprehensive genetic testing in all kids diagnosed with cancer are not available. Ultimately, the goal of the tool is to give children with a syndrome the opportunity to be diagnosed and treated appropriately. In addition, the tool can be used to educate medical professionals around the world.

Dr. Catherine Goudie received a prestigious clinical investigator award from the FRQ-S in Quebec and returned to Montreal in July 2018 to continue this research as a collaboration between the Montreal Children’s Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children. The FRQ-S is a government organization that, annually, funds select clinician investigators in Quebec to do health research.

“For someone young like me, who doesn’t have a lot of experience, having POGO to support my work was a huge stepping stone. I am certain that POGO’s support and the credibility that this organization has internationally, helped me get this next award in Quebec. I am really grateful for this opportunity.”

This story was featured in POGO’s 2018 Community Impact Report.
The MIPOGG App will be available in September 2019.

Pediatric Oncologist Cycles across Canada to Raise Funds for Kids with Cancer

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Claire Slaughter

I first entered the world of childhood cancer as a counsellor at Camp Trillium in the year 2000. It quickly became apparent that this week away was often the only break that these families would get from their time at the hospital.

Fast forward to today, I am now a pediatric oncologist. I am the person who tells families their child has cancer. Often I get to tell them their child is cured and watch the relief flood over their faces. But for 1 out of every 5 kids, I still have to say “the cancer is back, and it might take your child’s life.” In addition, as the Medical Director of the POGO AfterCare program at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, I see in my practice that surviving cancer isn’t the end of the story. As many as 60% of survivors will experience at least one chronic health problem due to their cancer and/or its treatment.

Since becoming an oncologist, I have been privileged to get to walk the cancer journey with so many kids and families. That is why three years ago, I upgraded my commuter tank with a basket to a road bike to ride in support of kids’ cancer care. Since then, I’ve been hooked. I love the feeling of sunshine on my back, and watching the scenery race by on a gorgeous day outside. This year, I am taking it to the next level and riding across Canada in Coast to Coast’s National Kids Cancer Ride taking place from September 4 – 21, 2019.

I am riding to support organizations that I’ve seen make a tangible difference to our families–the Children’s Hospitals (including mine!), the cancer camps, advocacy and support organizations, research funding and more. I am riding for our families–the ones who lost kids, those who are still supporting childhood cancer survivors, and the ones that are facing a brand new diagnosis. I am also riding for my dad who passed away after his own second cancer relapse this past year. I got to hear the words I often say, “His cancer is now incurable”…so I am riding in the hope that one day we’ll never have to say or hear those words again.

For those not familiar, this ride equates to about 150km/day for 18 days, as we cycle across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax during Childhood Cancer Awareness month in September. The ride raises funds through the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation, which supports so many programs for our families affected by childhood cancer. Please consider supporting me here through donations: http://staceymarjerrison.nationalkidscancerride.com, as well as spreading the word.

I will be posting updates on my twitter feed and instagram accounts @staceymarj. I hope you will follow along as this journey continues, and that you come out to cheer us on as we ride through your city!

How the Germ of an Idea Spread in a Community

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Claire Slaughter

The idea for the Kitchener Kids with Cancer Run/Walk came to me while I was running in my first half marathon in 2013. These races can be very inspirational. There are people cheering at the side of the road encouraging the runners with signs like, “Smile if you don’t have underwear on” and “The pain goes away, but electronic results last forever.” Although these signs put a smile on my face, my personal reasons for completing the race were all the memories of the kids I have been blessed to meet in my role as a pediatric oncologist at Grand River Hospital. If they could endure what we put them through when they are fighting cancer, then surely I could make it to the end. The idea to organize a race to raise money for children with cancer came to me that day, growing with each kilometre, and by the time I crossed the finish line, I had the beginning of a plan.

A few months later, I met with the organizers of the half marathon and convinced them to help put my plan into action. That first year, in 2014, the Kitchener Kids with Cancer Run/Walk took place at the back of the hospital in the doctors’ parking lot. Patients and families attended, we had about 135 participants and we raised $17,000 in support of POGO and the services they provide to our young patients and their families. We thought this was a great success. Little did we know that this race would grow to be a huge event, touching the lives of many in the community.

We have since outgrown the hospital parking lot. The race now takes place at the Waterloo Region Museum, attracting close to 600 participants. In 2018 we raised $68,652.68 for POGO. It is incredible to see how a community can come together to fight for such a great cause. Children’s hockey teams participate, a local church closes for the day to walk, run or volunteer, and our beloved Kitchener Rangers hockey team comes out to support this event. This race has turned into a way to support the kids who are currently fighting cancer and to remember those who have lost their battle. I am thankful to all of the families that I have had the pleasure of caring for and for the wonderful committee members who are the real reason that this race is such a success.

The 2019 Kitchener Kids with Cancer run takes place on Sunday, September 8. Everyone is welcome and we look forward to seeing you all there. Learn more at www.kwrunforpogo.com

Dr. Jodi Rosner was awarded the Friends of POGO Award at the 2018 POGO Symposium in Toronto.

Sam’s Story: Focusing on Ability, Not Impairment

Posted on June 7, 2019 by admin

Sam Baik

I was seven years old, living in South Korea, when I was diagnosed with a brain tumour and treated with a 12-hour surgery at Seoul National University Hospital. I can still remember the atmosphere in the operating room—it was cold and not a friendly setting for kids. As a young boy in an adult hospital it was very scary, but my dad was with me and comforted me until I fell asleep. The surgeon was not able to remove the entire tumour because it was pressing against my optic nerve, so I have been left with low vision and weakness on the left side of my body.

My family moved to Canada when I was 10 years old because my parents wanted better opportunities and better medical care for me. Shortly after we arrived, I developed severe headaches and was hospitalized at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton. I was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within my brain, likely related to my tumour. This typically causes increased pressure inside the skull. The setting of this hospital was very different from the one I was treated at in South Korea. The staff at McMaster are used to children and made me feel very comfortable about my treatment and medical procedures. I received a shunt implant that will remain in me for the rest of my life. A shunt is a tube that is inserted to divert the fluid away from my brain and, luckily, I have lived headache-free since then.

As part of my follow-up care, I receive MRIs every six months at a POGO AfterCare Clinic. In 2010, the test showed my tumour had grown. I received 70 cycles of chemo over an 18-month period. It shrunk the tumour a bit and it has remained stable ever since. I guess because of all my experiences in childhood, I always knew I wanted to work with children when I grew up. When I was ready to apply to post-secondary, I started to work with a POGO academic and vocational counsellor who helped me with the transition from high school to college. She helped me with things like adapting to new academic pressures and getting special accommodations because of my vision and mobility impairments.

I am proud to say I have graduated from Mohawk College with a degree in Child and Youth Care and I got a job at the YMCA afterschool program. I facilitate activities for kids in Grades 3 and 4. I love it because the kids are honest and energetic. I recently applied for and was offered the position of workshop facilitator for POGO’s Survivor-to-Survivor Network where I will use my personal experience to lead discussions on topics that are relevant to other childhood cancer survivors. Topics include employment, education, advocacy and self-disclosure. Self-disclosure can be a tough topic to tackle. The workshop revolves around how childhood cancer survivors disclose information about their disease, its treatment and resulting health complications to future employers and other people they are close to. It focuses on changing the language around any impairments they have, to describing what they CAN do. As survivors, we have overcome many difficult situations in life and we are stronger for it, more resilient. We have a lot to offer employers who are willing to see past our disabilities. I am excited for this opportunity to be a POGO workshop facilitator because I want to empower survivors to overcome the barriers that have resulted from their cancer and not let these challenges hinder what they can achieve in life. Because of the support I received from POGO academic and vocational counsellors, I was accepted to college, I have a diploma and I was able to gain relevant work experience. I just want the same for other survivors.

By Sam Baik

Sam’s story first appeared in the 2018 Community Impact Report, page 14. Sam has since completed a successful term as a Survivor-to-Survivor Network facilitator.

Blog

This POGO-funded research is helping children with its early detection of cancer predisposition syndromes.