Results of the 2025 Workplace Cancer Research Grants Competition

Principal Investigator

Dr Hugh W. Davies

Institution

University of British Columbia

Short Summary

Drugs that treat cancer can be toxic to healthy cells. Although they are handled very carefully, these drugs sometimes contaminate the environments where they are prepared or used. This means that healthcare workers may be exposed to these drugs, which may cause cancer or affect their health negatively in other ways. Dr Hugh Davies and his team are studying how cancer drugs affect healthcare workers, so they can better understand the risks and help make workplaces safer. 

Problem

Drugs that treat cancer can be toxic to healthy cells. Residues of these drugs sometimes contaminate the environments where they are prepared or used. Healthcare workers may come into repeated contact with these residues without meaning to, which may have implications for their health, especially as contact may occur over periods of many years. 

Solution

Dr Hugh Davies and his colleagues will test a novel method to measure how much contact healthcare workers have with cancer drugs. They’ll also look at different levels of exposure in different types of workplaces to better understand health risks in different occupations and settings. 

Impact

Studying what happens when healthcare workers work with cancer drugs will help us understand the risks they face. This could lead to better ways to check for exposure and improve safety at work. 

Principal Investigator

Dr Nathan DeBono

Institution

Ontario Health

Short Summary

Many construction workers are in contact with asbestos, but although medical exams are recommended for some workers with the most contact, not much is known about how they access lung cancer screening and other cancer prevention services. Dr Nathan DeBono and his colleagues will study who uses these services and how their health compares with the health of construction workers who are not known to work with asbestos. They hope to find ways of improving cancer prevention and screening so fewer people get cancer and those who do can catch it earlier and have a better chance of surviving. 

Problem

People who work in building repair or renovation are often exposed to asbestos, which can cause lung cancer. Right now, although some workers in Ontario are notified of the need for a medical exam when they reach 2,000 hours of asbestos exposure, not much is known about whether these workers are checked for lung cancer, which means some people may be missing out on screening that would benefit them. 

Solution

Dr Nathan DeBono and his colleagues will use database information to study how many workers exposed to asbestos are screened for lung cancer, how often those who smoke get help from counsellors to quit and how their health and medical care compare with the health of construction workers who aren’t known to have worked with asbestos. 

Impact

This research could show where we’re missing the mark in preventing and finding lung cancer caused by work. Learning more about which workers use lung cancer prevention services – and how often – could help improve those services, leading to fewer cancers and earlier, life-saving detection. 

Principal Investigator

Dr Paul Demers

Institution

Ontario Health

Short Summary

Estimates from 2012 linked 4,000 lung cancer cases each year in Canada to harmful chemicals at work — but those numbers are out of date. Dr Paul Demers and his team will update the data for 2026 and provide new details about the cancers and their costs. This information could help raise awareness and improve safety to prevent thousands of work-related cancers. 

Problem

Asbestos and other cancer-causing substances at work are an important and preventable cause of lung cancer, that is under-recognized. In 2012, a CCS-funded research project found that there are over 4,000 work-related lung cancer cases in Canada each year. But that was 13 years ago and we need updated statistics to better understand the problem, raise awareness, and improve prevention. 

Solution

Dr Paul Demers and his team are estimating how many lung cancer cases in Canada in 2026 will be linked to work. They’ll generate detailed statistics to support prevention efforts and will also look at how much these cancers might cost workers, the healthcare system, and society. 

Impact

The results will help efforts to prevent work-related lung cancer in Canada. Updated data will raise awareness, improve safety for people exposed to cancer-causing chemicals and support changes to laws and regulations that reduce exposure and prevent cancer. 

Principal Investigator

Dr Cheryl Peters

Institution

University of British Columbia

Short Summary

Outdoor workers are about three times as likely to develop a type of skin cancer called keratinocyte carcinoma as indoor workers, but few provinces track these cancers. Dr Cheryl Peters and her team will use existing data and medical records to estimate the rates and costs of work-related skin cancers. They hope this information will guide national efforts to reduce sun exposure and develop actions to protect outdoor workers and prevent future cases. 

Problem

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in Canada, with thousands of cases diagnosed each year. The main cause of skin cancer is ultraviolet radiation exposure from the sun. This is a problem for people who work outdoors with little support to reduce their sun exposure. Outdoor workers are three times as likely to develop a type of skin cancer called keratinocyte carcinoma as indoor workers. Very few provinces track this type of skin cancer – and those that do only record the first diagnosis.

Solution

Dr Cheryl Peters and her team are working on a better way to count these skin cancers using electronic medical records in B.C. and Alberta. They’ll estimate how many cases in 2026 are likely to be caused by workplace sun exposure and calculate how much these cancers might cost healthcare systems and the people who are diagnosed. 

Impact

Learning more about work-related skin cancer in Canada could lead to better ways to track cases across the country. This would help find ways to reduce sun exposure in outdoor workplaces, protecting workers and preventing cancers.