How we bridge the cancer care gap
The Extend Cancer Pharmacist Network (ECPN) empowers community pharmacies to better serve the unique needs of their patients with cancer.
What is the Cancer Care Gap?
We define the cancer care gap as the rising unmet need for expert-led pharmacy cancer care within the community pharmacy setting. Take-home cancer drugs, which are complex medications dispensed by community pharmacies in Ontario, are increasingly available as treatment options for patients with cancer. Examples of take-home cancer drugs include chemotherapy (i.e. capecitabine, temozolomide), targeted therapies (i.e. osimertinib, alectinib), and hormone therapies (i.e. abiraterone, apalutamide, fulvestrant, anastrozole) (Sonkin, 2024).
As the prevalence of cancer rises in Canada, so too does the need for safe, specialized and accessible pharmacy cancer care (Brenner, 2026). Pharmacists are meanwhile faced with growing industry pressures and a continuously evolving scope of practice (Canadian Pharmacists Association, 2025). ECPN was designed to help overcome the cancer care gap by bringing their oncology expertise to Partner Pharmacies, increasing their capacity to deliver specialized care within their pharmacy team.
How Community Pharmacies are Impacted
Community pharmacists are tasked with understanding and managing increasingly complex treatment plans, potential toxicities and coverage for take-home cancer drugs. Pharmacists have reported a lack of time and resources to invest in in-house support for complex care needs, impacting their ability to provide safe and informed care (Karia, 2025).
Partnering with ECPN empowers community pharmacies to provide high quality cancer care, build patient relationships and grow their reputation within the community as a hub for personalized and supportive cancer care.
How Patients are Impacted
Take-home cancer drugs and their supporting therapies present a growing list of risks and possible side effects for patients (Cancer Care Ontario, 2019). Having a detailed, personalized treatment plan with ongoing monitoring and support can help patients obtain better overall health outcomes by minimizing potential toxicities and supporting side effect management.
Extended Cancer Care
Extended Cancer Care is our evidence-informed, best practice workflow designed by oncology pharmacists to ensure timely, safe and effective pharmacy cancer care. It is informed by standards of practice created by Cancer Care Ontario, the Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology and the Ambulatory Oncology Clinical Pharmacy Key Performance Indicators.
Our Process
Partner Pharmacies receive prescriptions for eligible ECPN Formulary molecules. A referral form is submitted to ECPN with patient details, requiring only 3 minutes to complete. Partner Pharmacies are responsible for dispensing, while the ECPN pharmacy team provides clinical verification, support on reimbursement navigation, consultations, education and ongoing adverse effect monitoring services. Our team of oncology pharmacists and specialists are available for on-demand support for Partner Pharmacies.
Revenue Sharing Model
Regional Exclusivity
Partner Pharmacies can enjoy regional exclusivity within the Extend Cancer Pharmacist Network so that your cancer-focused pharmacy care remains unique to you within your community.
Founding Partners Program
With the launch of the Founding Partners Program, we will waive the franchise activation fee for our first 10 founding Partner Pharmacies. Get in touch with us to learn more about the Founding Partners Program and how to become an ECPN Partner Pharmacy.
Training Sessions
We run training sessions in Ottawa for Partner Pharmacies to prepare for integrating Extended Cancer Care into their workflow. Get in touch to book your spot in the next session.