February 2026 Newsletter

Hello, AYA Can community!

This month holds a special significance as we recognize World Cancer Day on February 4th. This year’s theme, “United by Unique,” resonates deeply with the AYA experience. It reminds us that while every journey through cancer is distinct, we are bound together by a collective strength and a shared goal: people-centred care.

At AYA Can, we believe that true care starts by seeing the person behind the patient. It means prioritizing your unique goals, mental health, and identity alongside your clinical treatment.

Join us this month in celebrating our individual paths while standing together for a more compassionate healthcare system. For more information, tools, and global stories, be sure to visit the official World Cancer Day website for resources.

Be sure to continue sending us your updates to include in the newsletter!

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Here are 16 things you can do to support AYA’s today:

1. AYA Can 

1. Our next Community Call will be in April.

2. We’re thrilled to welcome Nicole Rutkowski to the AYA Can Board! She has a PhD in clinical psychology and is a person with lived experience – we can’t wait to have her experience shape our next steps!

3. New publication: ‘Environmental Scan of Services for AYAs’ that AYA Can was involved in can be found HERE

4. Press Release by CCRAN with our support can be found HERE 

2. CAPO Webinars :  From persistence to policy: Breaking barriers in rare cancers care 

Date: Feb 25th at 12-1:30pm EST

Register HERE

3. Recruiting for Adult Childhood Cancer Survivors – Ontario only (see poster)

My research is about how adult survivors experience follow-up care over time — what it’s been like to access support, what’s been helpful or frustrating, and what you wish had existed but didn’t. I’m especially interested in survivors’ perspectives and opinions, with the goal of using them to help shape better and more survivor-informed care in the future.

4. My name is Shari Kluszczynski, and I am a cancer survivor organizing a small, informal Valentine’s-themed lunch in Brampton for individuals who have or had cancer. I’m reaching out to see if you might be willing to share this with your community.

Location: Swiss Chalet – 90 Resolution Dr, Brampton

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Time: 11:00 AM

Approx. $15 (quarter chicken dinner, side & pop – discounted)

This is a relaxed, supportive gathering focused on connection and conversation.

Limited spots – reservation required.

If interested, participants can contact me directly:

Shari Klu

(416) 768-6402

klushari@gmail.com

5. Gilda’s Toronto 

• Chef Geremy Capone (ELLICSR Kitchen), Registered Dietitian Daniela Fierini (ELLICSR Kitchen) and Guest Chef Amy Symington (Gilda’s Toronto), will be co-hosting Community Connections.

  • When: Thursday, February 19, 2026, 12 PM- 1 PM

  • Where:  ELLICSR: Health, Wellness & Cancer Survivorship Centre, Toronto General Hospital, Basement level, B PMB 130 The class can also be viewed virtually at www.YouTube.com/ellicsrkitchen. This is a free event, supported by the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, and is open to anyone. No registration is necessary. Call 416-581-8620 or email ellicsr@uhn.ca for more information.

• Naturopathy & Cancer 101, February 25, 2026, 1 PM- 2 PM. This is an introductory education session exploring how naturopathic principles can support people affected by cancer. The session covers evidence-informed complementary approaches, lifestyle strategies, and collaborative care, empowering participants with foundational knowledge to make informed, integrative health decisions. Register here: https://gildastoronto.member365.org/public/event/details/348dc720a57f7c8cf1ab4696e2a4c5a6bcbe333c/1

• Treading Above Water Series, Coming March 2026. Gilda’s Toronto invites you to join us for the education series Treading Above Water. Each Wednesday throughout the month of March we will provide virtual education opportunities to learn from subject matter experts about the difficult topic of dying and death. Registration and event details will be available soon.

• Spring Support Groups will start the week of April 13, 2026. We are now welcoming referrals. To access Gilda’s support groups, please complete our membership form here: Become a Member – Gilda’s Toronto

6. UHN programs

We kindly ask that you share this information with your teams and patients. The programming reflects feedback provided by AYA patients, as we continue to align our offerings with their identified needs and priorities.

Registration Links:

LGFB Workshop (Feb 12): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUJgrb3vKm5Shoxu8hAZ7tzB9A8YI-NTp4LAwavOsWEkK5sw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Legacy & Light Workshop (Feb 12): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLjN3hVsKcuPWLHwTlFeEiHbrdHlCbInw9ifMr3ThcV7Lkaw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Cooking Class (Feb 25):  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyMbl85ocPWCy3RL7hWsTKv2iOpjZ352F36PLLiPeAxbav0Q/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Save the Date: The third annual AYA Healthcare Provider Conference will take place on September 23 and 24. Additional details will be shared in the coming months.

7. OSSU World Cafe Conversations

Delighted to announce the next session in our OSSU World Café Conversations series with Maureen Smith🇨🇦, Aleisha F. and supported by Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit (OSSU):

“Find and Seek: Conversations on Matching Researchers and Lived Experience Partners”

⏰ Date & Time: Feb 6, 2026 12:00 – 1:00 PM Eastern (online)

Join us for the second session in a series of conversations that break down silos in the patient engagement ecosystem. Join us to participate in frank, insightful conversations about the challenges that both people with lived experience (potential and already engaged) and research teams face in finding the people and teams to facilitate successful partnerships. How do researchers and lived experience partners find each other, who’s hidden, and what needs to change to move beyond engagement with the “usual suspects”?

Registration is required. To register go HERE 

And please do keep adding topics to the discussion board and shape our final conversation that will take place on Thursday 12 March 2026 (topic To Be Confirmed): HERE

8. CCRAN

Earlier last month, CCRAN President and CEO Filomena Servidio-Italiano presented to Cholangio-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Canada (CHCC) on the value of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) in Canada.

Drawing from CCRAN’s first-of-its-kind Canadian modelling report, produced in collaboration with The Conference Board of Canada, Filomena highlighted how publicly funding comprehensive genomic profiling for five high-burden metastatic cancers could lead to more precise diagnoses, better-matched treatments and meaningful system-wide impact — including potential healthcare savings of $87M–$134M and more than 3,400 life-years gained.

🎥 Watch the full presentation here: https://lnkd.in/dzxfDt93

9. CCS for patients 

10. News: 

a) The Lancet Article –  𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆-𝐀𝐘𝐀 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲!

We’re proud to share our recent publication on the 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐭 (𝐂𝐎𝐒) 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 (𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐬) 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫.

A COS is a standardised group of outcomes that we define as essential to measure in cancer research and care. For AYAs, this means looking beyond survival and short-term side effects to include outcomes that matter most to collect data about, such as mental health, fertility, financial impact, return to work or study, and long-term quality of life.

This is the first COS specifically developed for and with AYAs with cancer. By implementing it, we can 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧.

In the article, we describe the COS and the process of developing it together with patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and researchers. HERE

b) Health Excellence Canada Series: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Virtual Learning Exchange: Introducing the HEC Health Equity Framework HERE 

c) Found resource on the LLSC site: Supporting the Psychosocial Challenges of Young Adults Touched by Cancer HERE 

d) Juggling two worlds: a new U of T study led by FIFSW graduate Maya A. Stern and colleagues (including Prof. Esme Fuller-Thomson) reveals the emotional, physical, and financial toll on family caregivers and calls for caregiver support as standard cancer care: HERE 

11. CCSN 

We are reaching out to request your assistance in sharing a survey to ensure the patient voice is meaningfully represented at an upcoming Health Technology Assessment (HTA) submission to Canada’s Drug Agency. Specifically, pembrolizumab is being reviewed for treating ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancers; so we are hoping to gather insights from individuals who have experience receiving this treatment and their caregivers regardless of nationality or current country of residence. (see poster)

We kindly ask that you share this survey link:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W26ovarian with anyone you feel could contribute. Their lived experiences regarding benefits, challenges, side effects, quality of life, and more, will help us develop a strong, patient-centred submission. The survey will remain open until March 12, 2026.

• No identifying information is required – Patients may complete the survey entirely anonymously if they wish.

• Only aggregated, de‑identified data will appear in our report – No individual patient will be identified by full name or other personal details.

Thank you for your time and for the essential care you provide to patients every day.

About the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network 

The Canadian Cancer Survivor Network (CCSN) is a national patient organization dedicated to amplifying the voices of people affected by cancer. We work to ensure patients, survivors, and caregivers are informed, engaged, and empowered to participate in health system decision‑making. CCSN actively collaborates with stakeholders across Canada to embed the patient perspective into policy development, cancer drug review processes, and access-to-care discussions. Our mission is to make sure the real experiences of patients, survivors and caregivers help shape better outcomes for all.

12. Wellwood Educational Lecture Series (see poster)

Cellular Therapy: Advances in Stem Cell Transplant and CAR-T

Recent advancements in cellular therapies are offering more hope for patients living with blood cancers. Join us for a conversation about what’s new in the world of stem cell transplantation and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy.

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 10 ‎| Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  ‎| Guest Speaker: Dr. Kylie Lepic

Format: Via Zoom (a meeting link will be sent closer to the date)

If you’re interested in the topic being discussed, feel free to register by calling us at 905-667-8870 or by completing the online form.

Recordings of our previous lectures are available here.

13. Recruitment posters for pediatric brain tumour survivors and their parents 

Following a diagnosis of pediatric brain tumour, many young people may experience changes in their social lives or friendships. While some interventions exist to support them, none have been developed directly from the perspective of the young people concerned and their parents. The objective of our study is therefore to gather the ideas, needs, and preferences of young people and their parents in order to guide the development of a new social resource, better adapted to their reality while promoting engagement.

In this context, we are currently recruiting young people aged 8 to 16 who have completed active treatment for a brain tumour at least one year ago, as well as their parents, to participate in virtual discussion groups in French or English. These meetings aim to better understand the challenges and facilitators related to social relationships, as well as preferences for activities and the format of the future intervention.

Please find our recruitment posters HERE. We would be very grateful if you would share them within your organization or networks to help us reach affected families across Canada.

14. Dr. Samara Perez, clinical psychologist and researcher in oncology at McGill is looking for a couple of patient partners to help develop a new research project. Specifically:

• A patient living with cancer, specifically, with a hematologic malignancy who has experienced barriers related to social determinants of health that influenced their access to supportive care services or (importantly) intensive treatments, including but not limited to CAR-T therapy or allogeneic transplantation.

• A patient living with cancer, from a diverse background with a hematologic malignancy who has faced, or could reasonably have faced, challenges related to social determinants of health at any point along their treatment pathway.

 Please feel free to contact Dr. Perez at samara.perez@mcgill.ca if you are interested or want further information.

15. If you are a patient with relapsed/refractory Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and have been treated with Tafasitamab (Minjuvi), you can complete a survey to inform Lymphoma Canada’s submission to Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA).

The survey link is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B6GZMVV

16. Cancer Maps Update:

Over the past few years, I’ve been working on a follow-up study building on this research. This month, I’ve been spending time moving that work forward. In this month’s YouTube update, I discuss the project in more detail, including the next steps I plan to take, how I expect the findings to contribute to the scientific literature, and how they will continue to inform how CancerMaps Inc. creates content.

Ways you can help us grow in February:

1. Share your experience: If you have experience meeting with cancer specialists as a patient or supporter and would be willing to share your story, we’d love to hear from you. We are exploring how to present these experiences in ways that help others make the most of specialist visits. Please reach out at: info@cancermaps.ca

2. Recommend helpful resources: If there is an online cancer resource that you found particularly helpful and think others would benefit from, we’d love to learn more about it and consider sharing it on our website. Please reach out at: info@cancermaps.ca

4. Spread the word: You can support the project by telling others about CancerMaps Inc. and encouraging them to sign up for our newsletter: https://newsletter.cancermaps.ca

5. Follow and engage: Like and subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CancerMapsInc We’re also on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/107081521

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If you have anything you’d like us to let the AYA CAN community know about, please send it to us and we will include it in our next newsletter.

Thank you for reading!