#KNOWvember is about opening the conversation on biomarkers
- sabrina hanna
- Oct 31
- 2 min read
Montréal, QC – October 25, 2025 –Cancer is still being treated by where it starts — but the real story is in its biology. Precision oncology uses molecular and biomarker insights to match treatments to what’s actually fueling each tumour.
#KNOWvember is about opening the conversation on biomarkers during Precision Oncology Awareness Month (formerly precision medicine awareness month). Biomarkers — the genes, proteins, and molecular signals inside a tumour — can tell doctors which treatments are likely to work, which won’t, and whether a person could qualify for a clinical trial.
This is the heart of precision oncology: moving beyond one-size-fits-all medicine, and towards care that is evidence-based, targeted, and personal.
While the science has advanced, public awareness hasn’t caught up. Most people still think of cancer treatment as chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation. Few know that today, doctors can look inside a tumour’s biology to guide care in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
That’s why the cancer collaborative — alongside the Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN), Colorectal Cancer Canada, Lung Cancer Canada, and Genome Canada — is leading Precision Oncology Awareness Month (#KNOWvember). And this year, for the first time, the campaign will feature Biomarker Awareness Day on KNovember 13 — a new day of recognition that is being observed in North America, in step with the Precision Medicine Commons in the US. Together, these initiatives signal a growing international presence for POAM (#KNOWvember), and a chance to accelerate progress by working across borders.
Why it matters
Biomarker testing can help patients avoid treatments that are unlikely to work
It reduces unnecessary side effects and wasted time
It can connect patients to innovative therapies and clinical trials
It saves resources by preventing the use of therapies that don’t work
The challenge in Canada
More than 240,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer this year
Fewer than half of eligible patients receive timely biomarker testing
Wait times for results range from under 2 weeks in some centres to more than 8 weeks in others.
Indigenous, rural, and racialized patients face additional barriers, worsening inequities in outcomes.
A Canadian cost–benefit analysis by Colorectal Cancer Research & Action Network (CCRAN) and the Conference Board of Canada found that expanding access to comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) across five major cancers could improve survival without increasing overall health system costs.
“#KNOWvember is about opening the door to knowledge,” said sabrina hanna, chief change officer of the cancer collaborative and the organization driving POAM. “When patients, families, and the public know what biomarker testing is, they can be part of the conversation — and that changes everything.”
This month, Canadians are being encouraged to:
Know the science – understand what biomarker testing is and why it matters
Know the stories – listen to the lived experiences of patients and clinicians
Know the system – recognize the delays, inequities, and challenges in access
Resources and advocacy tools are available at www.knowyourgenome.co, including fact sheets and a one-click option to email MPs. This campaign is about education. Knowing what a biomarker is — and why it matters — can spark real change.
Know the science. Know the stories. Know the system.
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For more information
sabrina hanna
the cancer collaborative
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