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GCF Shines A Light on stomach cancer inequities

Throughout September, the Gut Cancer Foundation worked with Dr Karyn Paringatai to highlight the stomach cancer inequities faced by Māori, and the importance of everyone understanding their whakapapa (family history) in catching stomach cancer early. Hereditary Diffuse Stomach Cancer caused by a mutation in the CDH1 gene is a rare inherited condition associated with an increased risk of stomach cancer. New Zealand has a disproportionately large number of stomach cancer diagnoses becau...

Stomach Cancer Awareness Month

Stomach cancer is a disease with highly inequitable outcomes and a disproportionate effect on Māori and Pacific communities which is measured in sobering statistics: Māori are among the few populations in the world that are more prone to diffuse-type than intestinal-type stomach cancer, partly because of the increased cancer risk due to inherited CDH1 genetic variants in the Māori population. While stomach cancer in Pākehā and Asian populations in New Zealand is declining in line ...

Webinar Recording – The role of nutrition in cancer prevention

The Gut Cancer Foundation is delighted to share the first in a new series of webinars exploring gut cancers and gut health. In this webinar, we were joined by GCF Scientific Advisory Committee member, Dr. Clare Wall, to discuss the role that diet and nutrition can play in cancer prevention. We are very grateful to Dr. Wall who drew on her years of experience as a Professor of Nutrition at Auckland University, to give us a fascinating insight into what we mean by evidence-based research, and what...

GCF announces new Scientific Advisory Committee members

The Gut Cancer Foundation are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Deborah Wright BMedSc(Hons), MBChB, PhD, FRACS and Professor Jonathan Koea MBChB, FRACS (Ngati mutunga, Ngati tama) to our Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). Dr Wright and Professor Koea have joined the team following the departure of our long-standing Chair, Professor Bridget Robinson, and long-time committee member Professor John McCall. Both Professor Robinson and Professor McCall had been members of the committee sin...

New webinar series launched

As part of our work looking at diet, nutrition, lifestyle and gut health, in relation to the prevention of gut cancers, GCF is launching a new webinar series. We will be asking a series of experts to share their knowledge on specialist areas to help you better understand your gut health, and the role that nutrition, diet and exercise can play in reducing the risk of gut cancers. The series kicks off on Wednesday, June 29th with a discussion on the current evidence for the role of nutrition in ca...

GCF Board Member retires

Following our recent meeting of the board of trustees, GCF is announcing the retirement of Ms Christine McNamee Liddy AO, FAICD, BA. Simultaneously a member of the Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group, Christine brought a wealth of non-government board and fundraising experience that has seen her make an invaluable contribution to GCF’s work and outcomes for gut cancer patients across Australasia over many years. GCF chair Tim Miles said, “Christine’s experience and wisdom, particul...

GIVE IT UP raises awareness

From the outset, the aim of the GIVE IT UP for Gut Cancer campaign has had three key aims: To raise vital funds for research, awareness, education, and advocacyTo raise awareness about gut cancer preventionTo give participants practical help to make lasting, sustainable changes to their health...

Record year for GIVE IT UP

As we come to the close of our 2nd GIVE IT UP for Gut Cancer campaign, we want to thank each and every one of our incredible fundraisers, donors, and campaign partners who made this such a success. After a brilliant first year, 2022 saw nearly 800 Kiwis sign on to GIVE UP sugar, alcohol, or the sofa for the month of March. With support from our campaign partners, 4 Wheels of Health, and personal trainer Aviv Jones, our team of 800 raised over $175,000 in support of our mission to fund innovative...

Yoga & Mindfulness

We are very grateful Katie Christie from NowYoga in Wellington who has organised a fantastic yoga and mindfulness workshop in support of the Gut Cancer Foundation. Katie has organised a fabulous team of women who will be talking about; the role of mindfulness in relation to managing pain and the challenging emotions that go with a cancer diagnosis; the importance of good nutrition and sharing with you healthy and affordable recipe ideas that you can easily make at home; and a survivor who will t...

Newshub features GIVE IT UP

The Gut Cancer Foundation’s work to raise vital awareness about the causes, risks and symptoms of gut cancers, received a boost with a fantastic report on TV3’s Newshub. National Correspondent Amanda Gillies met with GIVE IT UP ambassador and Oesophageal Cancer patient Karen Pratt, GIVE IT UP campaign partner Simon Gault, and GCF Executive Officer Liam Willis. Karen’s powerful story reminds us of the urgent need to fund more research into these prevalent and deadly cancers, and ensure New ...

Ferrari Owners’ Club of New Zealand – Official Charity

The Gut Cancer Foundation is thrilled to have been chosen as the Official Charity for the Ferrari Owner’s Club of New Zealand (FOCNZ), for 2022. Founded in 1986 by a group of enthusiastic racers who originally wanted to create a register of Ferrari’s in the country, FOCNZ has gone from strength to strength. The Club has a constantly growing membership, which currently stands at 260. Together, they represent a significant percentage of the Ferrari’s currently resident in New Zealand. FOCNZ ...

THYmine2 moves to analysis stage

Following ongoing difficulties in recruiting patients due to the impact of COVID-19, the THYmine2 study has closed to recruitment. Despite the ongoing difficulties, the research team successfully recruited 166 patients out of a target of 200. This success was down in part to the funding provided by GCFsupporters which was used to employ a clinical trials manager to help expand recruitment across a total of 5 sites.Final follow-up at the sites is almost complete and data analysis has co...

GIVE IT UP for Gut Cancer

Be it sugar, alcohol or even couch-potato-ing, Kiwis across the country are once again being asked to give up their favourite vice for one month to help raise awareness and funding for the country’s most deadly group of cancers. The inaugural ‘GIVE IT UP’ campaign was held last March to raise funds to find better ways to detect, diagnose and treat the seven deadly gut cancers – a group which includes bowel, pancreatic and stomach cancers and leads to the deaths of eight Kiwis every day. ...

PCAM 2021 a ‘shining’ success

As the 2021 Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month comes to an end we are delighted to share an overview of this year’s campaign, the numbers behind it, and the fantastic coverage we received....

The Project Shines A Light on Pancreatic Cancer

The Shine A Light for Pancreatic Cancer Campaign received more great coverage this week as The Project aired a report highlighting the campaign. The piece featured GCF’s pancreatic cancer ambassadors, Nyree Smith, and Andy Kirk, talking about their personal experiences living with and losing loved ones to pancreatic cancer. The report also focused on GCF’s funding of the ASCEND trial with our Scientific Advisory Committee member, Dr Sharon Pattison discussing the potentially ground-breaking ...

Shine a Light on Pancreatic Cancer

We are grateful to Newshub for this fantastic piece covering the Shine a Light on Pancreatic Cancer campaign. Our fantastic pancreatic cancer ambassador, Nyree Smith discusses her own cancer journey whilst Scientific Advisory Committee member, Dr Sharon Pattison talks about GCF’s funding of the ASCEND clinical trial:...

World Pancreatic Cancer Day 2021

Thursday 18th November is World Pancreatic Cancer Day. Over 630 New Zealanders a year are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and only 12% of those diagnosed survive beyond 5 years. Incidence in New Zealand is on the increase. As the New Zealand representative organisation on the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, we are joining with member organisations around the world to say ‘It’s about time’ to know about the symptoms, risk factors and research needed to find better ways to detect, diagno...

ASCEND Clinical Trial – Funding Announcement

The Gut Cancer Foundation is delighted to announce a grant of $81,000 to help New Zealanders with advanced pancreatic cancer access a new clinical trial in 2022. Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rates of any major cancer. One of the major reasons is that symptoms are often very mild and can be easily missed or ignored. This results in most patients being diagnosed at an advanced stage, where the only curative option of surgery is no longer possible. Unfortunately, patients with newly di...

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

How Kiwis Can Help Make A Difference This Pancreatic Awareness MonthPancreatic cancer has the lowest five-year survival rate of all major cancers (only 12%) and, tragically, the number of Kiwis being diagnosed is increasing. Because symptoms are often vague, and too many Kiwis don’t know how to reduce their risk, the race is on to secure vital funds for research, so that one day we have fewer ‘forgotten patients’ suffering from pancreatic cancer.This November the Gut Cancer Foundation (GCF...

Gut Health Webinar

Why is gut health so important to our overall health and wellbeing? How can good gut health help you lose weight and in turn, help reduce your risk of gut cancers? What is the gut microbiome? Join the Gut Cancer Foundation for a FREE online talk with our partners from 4 Wheels of Health, nutritionist Sean Robertson and chef Simon Gault on Wednesday 27th October at 7pm to get the answer to these questions and more. Register for this FREE session here: *Once you have registered you will receive a ...

CANGO urges Government: Stop “shrugging your shoulders” at cancer deaths

The Alliance of Cancer NGOs (CANGO) is calling on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to urgently adopt the same hard-line, “zero tolerance” approach to cancer deaths that she is to COVID. “Recently, the Prime Minister made it clear that a principled approach to COVID means zero tolerance for preventable deaths,” Peter Fergusson, Chair of CANGO, said. “Why wouldn’t we take the same approach to the 10,000 cancer deaths we have each year in Aotearoa New Zealand, so many of which are preventa...

World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition Annual Meeting

The Gut Cancer Foundation is proud to represent New Zealand as part of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition (WPCC). Every year, the coalition of global charities and patient advocacy groups comes together for its annual meeting. This was the first opportunity the Gut Cancer Foundation has had to be involved, as last year’s event was cancelled completely due to COVID. This time around, a group of over 100 pancreatic cancer experts and advocates met virtually, and GCF Executive Officer Liam Wil...

Big Purple Dinner

The Gut Cancer Foundation is excited to announce the launch of a new fundraising initiative in support of research and awareness for pancreatic cancer. Over 600 New Zealanders are will die from pancreatic this year alone and sadly pancreatic cancer has the worst survival rate of any major cancer meaning these numbers are expected to rise. By 2025, pancreatic cancer is projected to be the 4th largest cause of cancer deaths in New Zealand. At GCF we want to help address these stark facts and suppo...

Pharmac Review

Recently, the Gut Cancer Foundation made a comprehensive submission to the independent review panel set up by the Government to conduct a review of PHARMAC. Speaking about the submission, Executive Officer Liam Willis said, “the standard of care given for a number of gut cancers in New Zealand falls behind many other OECD countries. Not only does this impact Kiwis getting access to the latest and best treatment options, but it also prevents New Zealanders from participating in international cl...

PanCan Gala

As we head towards this year’s Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in November, we have an exciting announcement to make. On Friday, November 19th, the inaugural PanCan Gala will take place at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. The vision of a dedicated and skilled committee of pancreatic cancer advocates led by GCF ambassador Nyree Smith, the gala will be an elegant formal evening with amazing entertainment in a stunning venue, all dedicated to improving outcomes for New Zealanders with pancreat...