Here is what the Canadian Cancer Society sent to us in late July 2009
in response to our questions about its cancer prevention activities.

---

The Canadian Cancer Society and Prevention

The Canadian Cancer Society is a national community based organization whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer. We achieve our mission by:

• Promoting lifestyle and prevention strategies for reducing cancer risk
• Funding excellence in research on all types of cancer
• Advocating for healthy public policy to make healthy choices easy choices
• Providing information about cancer
• Supporting people living with cancer

The Canada-wide prevention priorities for the Society are:

1) Occupational and environmental exposure to cancer-causing substances
2) Cancer Prevention Research
3) Tobacco control
4) Screening
5) Healthy Living
6) Underserved populations

1) Occupational and environmental exposure to cancer-causing substances

On Cancer.ca here.

The Canadian Cancer Society believes that Canadians should not be exposed to cancer-causing substances at home, at work, or in their environment.

Wherever possible, exposure to substances that cause cancer should be identified and eliminated by substituting safer alternatives. When elimination is not possible, exposure should be reduced to the lowest possible levels.

The Society strongly supports a community’s right to know what they are being exposed to so that they can make informed decisions about their health.

Some of the most important information needed to make this happen includes:

• an understanding of what substances increase cancer risks
• providing information to the public about ingredients in consumer products
• advocating for the use of safer alternatives where they exist

Current scientific evidence is the cornerstone of our information and positions about cancer. However, we believe it is important in some circumstances not to wait for perfect scientific clarity to take action to protect Canadians. As a result, we also support the precautionary principle that states, “when an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause-and-effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.”

Our pledge to Canadians is to:

• Take action on their behalf to ensure public policies and government legislation are in place to help protect people from cancer-causing substances in the environment
• Provide information about cancer-causing substances of concern to Canadians
• Provide information about how people can take action to reduce their exposure to these cancer-causing substances

We believe eliminating or reducing exposure to cancer-causing substances in the environment will be most effective through a combination of individual action and healthy public policy (e.g., banning cosmetic use of pesticides).

Cancer Control

On Cancer.ca here.

Some of our work in this important area of cancer control includes:

Working to create healthy environments
The Canadian Cancer Society works hard across Canada to ban the use and sale of cosmetic pesticides. Society provincial divisions provide information about, and advocate against, the cosmetic use of pesticides. Hundreds of communities across Canada have banned the use of pesticides on lawns and gardens – and the Society has contributed to many of these successes. Of special note – the provinces of Ontario and Quebec have implemented province-wide bans on the cosmetic use of pesticides.

Finding more answers about pesticides
The Canadian Cancer Society hosted a groundbreaking conference about pesticides and cancer in November 2008. Experts from around the world led discussions on the cancer risks of pesticides used on agricultural crops, and other non-cosmetic uses. We are now moving forward with developing up-to-date information for Canadians about this important topic.

Working to improve air quality
In March 2008, the Society announced the formation of a coalition, along with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and The Lung Association, to help increase public attention and political action on environmental health hazards. The coalition urged the federal government to roll-out the national Air Quality Health Index across Canada. This index would give Canadians easy to understand information about air quality, along with clear recommendations for action to limit exposure to health threatening conditions.

Restricting PBDEs
The Society is advocating for restrictions on the use of PBDEs, a class of flame retardant. PBDEs increase the risk of cancer. Most recently, we submitted a letter to Environment Canada to support the government’s introduction of new restrictions on this chemical. These restrictions are in line with recommendations the Society proposed to the federal government in October 2006.

Working to inform consumers
The Society supports a person’s right to know what ingredients are in products so they can make informed decisions about their health. The Society continues to advocate for the implementation of federal Bill C-6. We believe the bill should require products that contain cancer-causing substances to be labeled with a hazard symbol indicating the presence of chemicals of concern. Our advocacy efforts on this bill have resulted in the House of Commons recommending that a Committee be developed to look specifically at chronic health hazards and product labeling. Due to lobbying by the Canadian Cancer Society, two large industry associations encourage their clients to disclose product ingredients.

Asbestos
The Society is calling on the federal government to adopt a comprehensive strategy addressing all aspects of the asbestos issue, including phasing out the use and export of asbestos. We have been working hard to encourage the federal government and opposition parties to adopt positions on asbestos that are in line with our own.

Environment, Cancer and You
On Cancer.ca here. The Society provides current information about cancer-causing substances on its website – cancer.ca. Recently this information was complemented by the posting of a PDF handbook – Environment Cancer and You. This helpful resource provides clear, concise information about what to do to help create healthy environments.

Some examples of significant Division activities in preventing cancer include:

Ontario Division

Take Charge on Toxics
Ontario Division supports Take charge on toxics, a campaign aimed at ensuring the Ontario government’s Toxic Use Reduction legislation reduces Ontarians risk of developing cancer, by effectively addressing toxic chemicals where people live, work and play. This campaign comprises a broad coalition of respected health, environment and labour organizations.

New Centre Launched
The Society’s Ontario Division was a pivotal partner in the launch earlier this year of Canada’s first occupational cancer research centre. This centre is charged with improving knowledge and evidence to help identify, prevent and ultimately eliminate exposure to cancer-causing substances in the workplace.

British Columbia and Yukon Division

The BC/Y Division established a Canadian Cancer Society Chair in Cancer Primary Prevention with the School of Population and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. A leader in cancer prevention – Dr. Carolyn Gotay – was recently appointed to this chair. The Division is now in a position to continue its cancer prevention work by leveraging the role of the research chair and develop a Centre for Cancer prevention in partnership with the University of British Columbia.

2) Cancer Prevention Research

Funding prevention research is an important focus of the Canadian Cancer Society’s efforts to reduce the burden of cancer. This year, the Society complemented its activities in this area by awarding the first set of research grants within a special Cancer Prevention Research Initiative. The projects will advance this important field by identifying interventions against modifiable cancer risk factors and conditions. The research projects will look at behaviours, biological factors or environmental conditions that have the potential to be changed for the purpose of reducing the risk of developing cancer. The Society is investing approximately $3 million over the next three years in this new initiative.

The Canadian Cancer Society is also providing close to $2.9 million this year alone for a broad spectrum of excellent prevention-focused research across the country that ranges from clinical trials to behavioural research to molecular and genetic studies.

Some of the promising Society-funded prevention research underway includes:

• investigating the risk of bladder and kidney cancer associated with environmental exposure to arsenic in drinking water
• a study of 3,000 men to try to identify potential causes of prostate cancer, including chemical exposure, lifestyle factors and genetic signatures.
• a study of Vitamin D levels and breast cancer risk
• a study investigating a new simple breath test with people at high risk of lung cancer that may target those most in need of intensive screening.

3) Tobacco control

Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable disease, disability and death in Canada. Cigarette smoking causes about 30 per cent of cancer deaths in Canada and about 85 per cent of lung cancer. Lung cancer death rates continue to climb among women while decreasing among men. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women

The Canadian Cancer Society has been, and continues to be, a leader in tobacco control in Canada. Our tobacco control activities across Canada include

• advocacy
• helping smokers quit, including helplines
• funding research
• information

Advocacy

Our advocacy activities include working to:

• curb contraband tobacco products
• increase tobacco taxes
• ban flavoured tobacco products
• ban tobacco advertising
• create smoke free areas
• increase funding for prevention and cessation programs

Recent advocacy highlights are:

New federal bill welcome
The Society recently applauded a major victory for tobacco control with the introduction of federal Bill C-32, An Act to Amend the Tobacco Act. The bill was adopted by the House of Commons on June 17, 2009 and is now before the Senate. This bill would reduce tobacco use in Canada, including among young people who are particularly vulnerable. Measures in the bill include:

• banning flavours in cigarillos (little cigars), cigarettes, and blunts (rolling papers made of tobacco)
• prohibiting tobacco advertising in newspapers and magazines

Smoking Bans
The Canadian Cancer Society is an important player in advocating for a ban on smoking in cars with children. In December 2007, Nova Scotia became the first province to adopt legislation banning smoking in vehicles with children. Since then, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have all adopted similar legislation. The Society will continue to work hard to ensure this important health legislation is adopted by other provinces, territories and municipalities across Canada.

Past advocacy victories for stronger tobacco control measures, include legislation:

• requiring smoke-free workplaces and public places
• banning tobacco sponsorship
• prohibiting visible displays of tobacco products at retail outlets
• mandating world precedent-setting picture-based health warnings on cigarette packages

The Society was also an intervener at the Supreme Court of Canada for a pivotal court case where we defended the constitutional validity of tobacco control legislation.

Helping smokers quit

One Step at a Time
The Canadian Cancer Society offers an innovative step-by-step self-help quit program – One Step at a Time. Developed with input from smokers who have successfully quit, these brochures are an excellent resource for smokers and those who care about them.

Smokers’ Helplines
The majority of Society Divisions operate Smokers’ Helplines – a free, confidential telephone support services for smokers trying to quit and the people who support them. We also offer an online service – smokershelpline.ca. This is an interactive, web-based service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week offering tips, tools and support to help with quitting smoking or other tobacco use.

Research

Every year the Canadian Cancer Society encourages and funds research that will help to control tobacco use. For example, we are funding a long-term study of cigarette smoking and nicotine dependence in Canadian youth, with the goal of improving programs aimed at preventing youth smoking and helping young smokers to quit.

Information

We provide Canadians with up-to-date comprehensive information about tobacco, smoking, lung cancer prevention and treatment. We supply this information through print material, our website and our Cancer Information Service.

4) Screening

Cancer screening works. It helps reduce cancer deaths in Canada and can help prevent cancer by detecting pre-cancerous conditions, which can be treated or removed. In Canada, cancer screening is not realizing its full potential. Fewer Canadians would die from cancer, and fewer would be diagnosed, if cancer screening in Canada was enhanced and expanded.

The Canadian Cancer Society is working to ensure cancer screening reaches its full potential. Across Canada, the Society raises awareness of the importance of screening and advocates for the implementation of organized screening at the provincial/territorial levels. The Society actively participates on a number of pan-Canadian committees related to breast, colorectal and cervical cancer screening.

Some activities in various Divisions across the country include:

• Advocacy efforts across Canada for the implementation of comprehensive screening programs for colorectal, breast and cervical cancers Participation in these programs remains sub-optimal
• Society staff and volunteers organize education programs for healthcare professionals and the public to promote awareness of screening programs
• Some of the Society’s provincial Divisions are assessing barriers to screening programs for underserved populations. The goal of these programs is to build capacity and knowledge in underserved populations around screening

5) Healthy Living

At least half of all cancers can be prevented through healthy living and policies that protect the health of Canadians.

Across Canada, the Society raises awareness about healthy living and advocates for public policy that makes healthy choices easy choices for Canadians. Some examples of our work include:

Eat Well, Be Active
The Society’s Eat Well, Be Active campaign informs Canadians about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity in preventing cancer.

SunSense
We offer SunSense guidelines so people know how to protect themselves from the damaging rays of the sun. A recent Canadian Cancer Society funded survey shows young people are spending the most time in the sun and are least likely to be protected from overexposure to the sun’s rays. These findings will help the Society target sun safety awareness to the people who need it the most.

Vitamin D recommendation
Vitamin D supplementation for Canadians was recommended for the first time by the Canadian Cancer Society in 2007. The ground-breaking recommendation is based on the growing body of evidence linking Vitamin D with a reduction in risk for a number of cancers including colorectal and breast cancer.

Helping people quit
The Society encourages Canadians to not start smoking and we support people who want to quit through our toll-free Smokers’ Helpline. We also offer innovative programs and services such as One Step at a Time – a step-by-step self-help quit program for smokers and those who care about them.

Smoke free environments
Nationally we’ve been involved with advocacy work to create smoke-free environments – for example, banning smoking in cars with children and youth. As well, we were pivotal players in advocating for Bill C-32, An Act to Amend the Tobacco Act.

6) Underserved populations

The Society provincial divisions are working to extend their prevention services to hard-to-reach populations, such as:

• youth
• northern populations
• new immigrants and ethnic minorities
• First Nations

All Divisions are planning their approaches to these important groups. Specifically, British Columbia/Yukon Division, Alberta and Ontario are developing interventions, screening information and tobacco control programs for youth, northern populations and First Nations. In developing any intervention with First Nations it has been carried out in consultation with Aboriginal groups.