Dr. Marie-Pascale Pomey, a researcher at the CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM), and her team will be leading a major international project funded by the European program Transforming Health and Care Systems (Horizon Europe), in partnership with France, Switzerland, Sweden and Belgium.

With funding totalling almost $3.2 million over three years, including $600,000 for Canada, this groundbreaking initiative aims to transform survivorship care for women aged 65 and over receiving hormone therapy after breast cancer to prevent recurrence.

“This is the first time that Canadian researchers have been able to apply as principal investigators in this type of European project. This breakthrough was made possible thanks to the participation of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research as co-funders, a first in this field,” stated Dr. Pomey.

A project in partnership with patients

The project is led by Dr. Pomey and aims to answer a key question: how can we improve survivorship care, which is often fragmented and difficult to access for women over 65 who have completed curative treatment for breast cancer and are undergoing hormone therapy to prevent recurrence?

“These patients have to manage complex issues, often linked to several pathologies and drug interactions. They are also faced with persistent side effects: fatigue, joint pain, cognitive problems and impacts on their sexuality, which sometimes lead them to stop their treatment,” explains Dr. Pomey.

The approach is distinguished first and foremost by its co-leadership. Each of the seven international teams (two in Canada, two in France, one in Switzerland, one in Sweden and one in Belgium) is co-led by a researcher and a patient partner co-researcher.

In addition, the project seeks to develop and evaluate new models of survivorship care for this population by designing them with patients affected by this issue. This co-construction approach allows for the experiential knowledge of patients (and their loved ones) to be taken into account and specifically addresses their needs.

These new models will include personalized digital tools, educational pathways, a peer support network to assist with the post-treatment transition and strengthening primary care capacity to provide survivorship care to these patients. The objectives: reduce anxiety, prevent treatment discontinuation, and improve survivorship and quality of life.

Benefits for health care systems

The research project also aims to inform public policy in Canada and Europe by involving decision-makers from the outset.

The recommendations resulting from this work can then be integrated into clinical practices and national best practice guidelines to offer more equitable and accessible care, and promote more coordinated survivorship care.

An international forum is planned at the end of the project to share the lessons learned and enrich survivorship care strategies for people in remission from breast cancer receiving hormone therapy.