Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42346247›Full record

ArticleCurrent oncology (Toronto, Ont.)2026

Strengthening Biomarker Research in Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials: A Pathology-Focused White Paper.

David F Schaeffer, Jennifer Chan, Jason Morin, Marie-Christine Guiot, George M Yousef, Catherine J Streutker, Harman Sekhon, Madeline Fitzpatrick, Shakeel Virk, Alexander Wyatt and 5 more

Abstract readConsensus Statement
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

David F SchaefferDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia and Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Jennifer ChanDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary and Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Jason MorinDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Manitoba and Shared Health Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Marie-Christine GuiotDepartment of Pathology, Montreal Neurological Institute and McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
George M YousefDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University Health Network and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Catherine J StreutkerDepartment of Pathology, Unity Health Toronto-St. Michael's Hospital and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3582-438X
Harman SekhonDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Madeline FitzpatrickDepartment of Pathology, Eastern Health, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.
Shakeel VirkCanadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG), Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Alexander WyattBC Cancer and Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Alan SpatzDepartment of Pathology, McGill University and Department of Pathology, Jewish General Hospital, and Lady Davids Institute for Medical Research, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3020-1420
Lois ShepherdDepartment of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queen's University, Canadian Cancer Trials Group, Queen's University, and Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Jonathan M LoreeBC Cancer and Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-8189-2132
Mary KinlochDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Health Authority, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-0092-0312
CCTG Pathology Working Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pathology is foundational to biomarker-driven and translational oncology research, yet systemic barriers limit full pathology engagement in Canadian cancer clinical trials, compromising the tissue-based questions such trials are designed to answer. This commentary and white paper synthesizes the perspectives of a national pathology working group convened at the 2025 Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) Annual General Meeting with a descriptive internal audit of the CCTG Tumour Tissue Data Repository (TTDR), in which biospecimen attrition was tabulated at the patient level by disease site; no inferential testing was performed. The TTDR data revealed substantial attrition across disease sites, with no tissue submitted for 32-44% of patients and slides submitted in place of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks for up to 51% of cases, reflecting persistent misalignment between protocol expectations and laboratory capacity. From these observations, five interrelated gaps were identified-in trial design, funding and resourcing, digital pathology infrastructure, academic recognition, and knowledge translation around consent and ethics governance. Five corresponding strategies are proposed to align research demands with pathology capacity, reduce attrition, and strengthen biomarker-driven trials. As a consensus- and experience-driven analysis rather than a systematic review, these recommendations are intended to frame a national conversation and a starting point for prospective evaluation.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorClinical Trials as TopicNeoplasmsCanadaHumansTranslational Research, BiomedicalBiomarkers, Tumorbiomarkersbiospecimen attritionCanadian Cancer Trials Groupclinical trialsconsent and ethics governancedigital pathologypathologyprecision oncologytranslational oncologytumor tissue

Identifiers

PMID42346247
PMCPMC13298393

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.