My Liver Cancer Blog

told me, “just go die already.” My oncologist submitted another request to Ontario Health’s Case-by-Case review program that they fund my zenocutuzumab treatments. According to their website, I meet the criteria: “The Case-by-Case Review Program (CBCRP) considers funding requests for oral and injectable cancer drugs for patients with a valid Ontario Health Card. Patients are eligible for CBCRP funding if their situation meets all of the following criteria:

• The drug is intended to treat an existing cancer.
• The patient has a rare clinical circumstance that is immediately life threatening (i.e., death is likely to occur within months).
• There is no other comparable clinical alternative.
• There are no other funding options.
• The patient cannot enrol in a clinical trial.
• Evidence primarily shows that the drug will prolong survival.
• Treatment may avoid or defer other healthcare costs.”

All of the above apply to me. 

My oncologist tried before in December 2025 before I started taking the Zeno, and they rejected it, but this time I was hopeful because we included new evidence, such as the fact that the Zeno is shrinking my tumor and that it has been approved by the FDA for cholangiocarcinoma patients. 

One of the reasons given for the rejection in December was that they anticipated doing a “population-based review” of the drug, and so it was therefore ineligible for funding (don’t ask me why). So this time we even included a letter from the drug manufacturer saying they do not intend to apply for approval of Zeno in Canada, meaning there can be no Ontario review because there won’t even be a Canadian review of the drug. Also, just fyi, with a max of 6 patients per year who might benefit from this drug in Canada, most of whom will never be identified because thorough genomic testing isn’t available everywhere in Canada, a “population-based review” isn’t possible. Essentially I am the population. But they gave the same denial rationale as before (the anticipated population-based review bullshit). 

So yes, I feel like my government just told me to go die.

But we are consulting a lawyer to see if there might be grounds for appeal. And we are asking the drug manufacturer again if they might provide the drug at a reduced price. And we are approaching the press to see if they might pick up this story. And we are writing our political representatives. I shouldn’t say “we.” Ken has been drafting most of these emails. I just feel too demoralized.