Saskatchewan Research, National Reach
Eight years ago, Dr. Candice Jackel-Cram pitched her research idea to a room full of women, and they said yes.
That yes, the very first grant awarded by Women Leading Philanthropy donors, launched the UTERUS Project (Universal Testing of Endometrial Cancer: Reaching an Under-Served Population). This spring, the research was published in an open-access journal, free for any patient, family member or physician to find. It is the first study of its kind in Canada, and it makes the case that every woman diagnosed with endometrial cancer should be offered genetic testing as part of her care.
“It’s very empowering for people,” says Dr. Jackel-Cram. “Participating, for the person with cancer, is a bit of a gift to their family.”
Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer among Canadian women, affecting about 8,600 each year. When the project began, women diagnosed with it were not routinely tested for Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition that raises the risk of colon and other cancers. Most had no way of knowing their cancer could run in the family.
Donor generosity changed that. Through the UTERUS Project study, 48 women received genetic counselling and testing, and seven were diagnosed with Lynch syndrome, opening the door to testing for more than 120 of their relatives. For those family members, knowing means earlier screening, sometimes beginning in their twenties, and the chance to stay ahead of cancer.
Screening endometrial tumours for signs of hereditary cancer is now a routine first step in Saskatchewan.
Dr. Jackel-Cram’s advice for anyone facing a diagnosis is simple: ask whether it could be genetic.
“A lot of people get to genetics because they’ve just asked the question,” she says.
Her findings are now guiding efforts to make follow-up genetic testing an automatic part of endometrial cancer care, so no woman is left unaware. The project helped spark a $2 million Genome Canada grant carrying this effort forward – benefitting women across Saskatchewan and beyond.
Read more about Women Leading Philanthropy.
Eight years after receiving the first Women Leading Philanthropy grant, Dr. Candice Jackel-Cram continues to see the impact of the UTERUS Project.
