Animation meets oncology in Quebec's newest cancer resource
Tashi Farmilo
Base Oncologie, a new free digital platform offering short animated videos explaining cancer in plain language, was launched this week by the Fondation québécoise du cancer. For residents of the Outaouais, the resource addresses a reality that is closer to home than many people realize.
The numbers alone put the stakes in perspective. According to the Canadian Cancer Statistics 2025 report, Quebec has the highest cancer incidence rate in the country, and researchers estimated that an average of 698 people across Canada would be diagnosed with cancer every single day that year. The foundation itself notes that one in two Quebecers will face the disease at some point in their lives, meaning that even those who never receive a personal diagnosis are very likely to walk alongside someone who does.
That is precisely the gap Base Oncologie was built to fill. Announced on March 17, the platform is available at plusinitiative.com/fr/base/oncology and delivers its content in a two-dimensional animation format, keeping explanations accessible rather than clinical. It covers specific cancer types, including breast, lung, and bladder cancers, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, and multiple myeloma, and includes modules on treatments, care goals, and support strategies. It was developed with Solutions Blue Aurora, a health innovation firm whose content is written and supervised by medical experts, and can be used independently by anyone with an internet connection or as a supplementary resource for health-care professionals.
Dr. Jean-Sébastien Aucoin, president of Solutions Blue Aurora, explained the problem the platform is designed to solve. "Base Oncologie was born from a clear need: to offer accurate, understandable, and reassuring information at a moment when people are often overwhelmed by contradictory or overly technical content, at critical periods in their lives," he said.
For people in Gatineau, the platform arrives as a complement to something already on their doorstep. The foundation's accommodation centre at 555 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, the Hôtellerie de l'Outaouais–Pavillon Michael J. McGivney, sits steps from the Gatineau Hospital and offers affordable rooms to patients travelling for treatment or investigation, starting at $30 a night in double occupancy for a person with cancer, with meal vouchers included. The centre also provides professionally led complementary therapies such as massage therapy, adapted physical activity, yoga, meditation, and dynamic neurofeedback, along with weekly outings organized by volunteers. Base Oncologie extends that spirit of support into the digital realm, reaching patients and families who may never set foot in a foundation centre but still need help making sense of a diagnosis.
Marco Décelles, the foundation's executive director, said the new platform reflects the organization's broader purpose. "This initiative fully aligns with the Foundation's mission, informing and supporting people affected by cancer and their loved ones at every stage of their journey," he said. "It also reflects our commitment to working in complementarity with the health network and community organizations to better equip all Quebecers to make informed decisions."
The Fondation québécoise du cancer and Solutions Blue Aurora president Dr. Jean-Sébastien Aucoin have teamed up to launch Base Oncologie, a free animated video platform designed to give Quebecers, including those served by the foundation's Gatineau accommodation centre, plain-language answers to one of the most confusing and consequential experiences of their lives. Photo: Courtesy of Solutions Blue Aurora