Current Projects

Reducing the Burden of Breast Cancer in Young Women (or RUBY) is a pan-Canadian collaborative comprised of 62 researchers and clinicians at 44 institutions and clinics across Canada, with the common goal of studying breast cancer in young women. Currently under the direction of Dr. Steven Narod (Principal-Investigator, Women’s College Hospital) and Dr. May Lynn Quan (Co-Principal Investigator, University of Calgary), the overall aim of this program is to establish a population-based cohort of 1,500 women newly-diagnosed with breast cancer aged 40 and under. 
 

The 1,500 RUBY participants will be enrolled over four years, and their treatment information and details about lifestyle and fertility will be collected for study. The data and specimens will be made available to RUBY researchers across Canada to address many questions related to optimal treatments for this population and improving their chances of survival. 

Women aged 40 and under face unique challenges that are often overlooked in breast cancer care, such as stress from career interruptions, early menopause or diagnosis at the time of pregnancy. Research shows that they also suffer poorer prognosis and outcomes, which may be linked to the current unclear genetic basis of young-onset breast cancer. This suggests that Young Women with Breast Cancer (YWBC) may benefit from different treatments compared to older women. 
 

The differences in treatment may relate to supportive care and self-management, fertility preservation, the influence of a several known genes, the impact of lifestyle and nutrition, the impact of various surgeries and the ramifications of treatment delay. The RUBY study includes four synergistic sub-projects that will focus on these factors individually. These sub-projects are:

1.  The impact of modifiable lifestyle factors in breast cancer survival in young women (PI: Dr. Christine Friedenreich)

1. SPOKE & GYPSY: Studies to Encourage Early Fertility Preservation Referral and to Predict Effects of Treatment on Fertility of Young women with Breast Cancer (PI: Dr. Ellen Warner)
2. Expanded Genetic Testing in Women with Young Onset Breast Cancer (PI: Dr. Kelly Metcalfe)
3. Knowledge to Action: Improving local therapy for young women with breast cancer across Canada (PI: Dr. Nancy Baxter)

This study’s research findings will be used to inform genetic testing policies for young women with breast cancer, provide a model framework for fertility preservation and support treatment interventions for optimal outcomes. The new knowledge generated from RUBY will be used to help guide provincial policies regarding the optimal treatment of young-onset breast cancer and to improve prognosis and quality of life for these young women.

Visit the RUBY website for more information.