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Lenvatinib Funded for Liver Cancer Patients from 1 December

Today Pharmac has confirmed that Lenvatinib (Lenvima) will be available from 1 December for eligible patients with advanced unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.This is a very welcome but long-awaited step forward and the first-time liver cancer patients in Aotearoa will be given funded access to a systemic treatment.The announcement gives advanced liver cancer patients an option while we wait for hear more on the procurement process for the immunotherapy combination, Atezolizumab (Tecentriq) a...

Cetuximab funded for some bowel cancer patients from 1 November 2024

1 November Update: Cetuximab (Erbitux) is now funded for some bowel  cancer patients. To find out more, check eligibility and download resources including questions to ask your medical team, visit the Erbitux website.GCF is delighted to see today’s announcement that Cetuximab (Erbitux) will be funded for a group of bowel cancer patients.From November 1st, this targeted treatment will be available for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer on the left side of the colon, with testing co...

GCF Submits Response to Pharmac Consultation on Behalf of Liver Cancer Patients

The Gut Cancer Foundation (GCF) has today provided feedback to Pharmac as part of their consultation process for funding the liver cancer treatment, lenvatinib (Lenvima). Lenvatinib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of an abnormal protein that signals cancer cells to multiply. This helps stop the spread of cancer cells.This submission follows a period of sustained advocacy by GCF on behalf of liver cancer patients, after Pharmac announced the ...

Access to Keytruda Widened from 1 October 2024.

The Gut Cancer Foundation is heartened to receive news of widened access of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for microsatellite instability high or deficient mismatch repair (MSI-H/dMMR) colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.  Pharmac has listened to clinicians and patient groups, including Gut Cancer Foundation and as a result of this, pembrolizumab will also be offered to patients with MSI-H/dMMR CRC who have already been treated with other systemic treatments.&...

GCF Provides Feedback for the Consultation on Pharmac Proposal to Widen Access to Pembrolizumab for Colorectal Cancer.

Earlier this month, Pharmac called for feeback on their proposal to widen access to Pembrolizumab to treat microsatellite instability-high or deficient mismatch repair (MSI-H/dMMR) colorectal cancer.We and the community we represent welcome the proposal. For a patient group with limited treatment options, access to this treatment will be a game changer and something we are delighted to see. In response to the call for feedback on the proposal, we note that Checkmate 142 and Keynote 164 test...

Update on Medicine Funding for Liver Cancer

The Gut Cancer Foundation has today written to Pharmac in response to news released on Friday August 9th that they have issued a Future Procurement Opportunity (FPO) for the cancer treatment bevacizumab.Aotearoa/New Zealand remains an outlier with no funded systemic options for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC/liver cancer), whilst Māori and New Zealanders living with socio-economic deprivation are over-represented in those with hepatocellular carcinoma. We held hope that atezolizuma...

Gut Cancer Foundation Welcomes News of Funded Immunotherapy for Colorectal Cancer Patients

The Gut Cancer Foundation is delighted by Pharmac’s announcement today that they are proposing to fund Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for patients with microsatellite instability-high or deficient mismatch repair (MSI-H/dMMR) colorectal cancer, from 1 October 2024. There are around 3,000 people diagnosed with colorectal cancer in New Zealand each year, with around 10% of all colorectal cancer diagnosis attributed to MSI-H/dMMR.  Around 20% of pe...

New Treatments Funded for Gut Cancer Patients

Yesterday's announcement of $604 million investment over four years to fund up to 26 cancer treatments is fantastic news for New Zealanders living with cancer. We are very pleased to see that the announcement includes the fulfilment of a promise to fund 2 new cancer drugs for gut cancer patients.The funding of Atezolizumab & Bevacizumab (Tecentriq & Avastin) is a major milestone for patients with advanced, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer). For the first time, patients...

GCF Joins Forces with Cancer Organisations on Medicine

Open Letter to Prime Minister Chistopher Luxon, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis, and the Associate Minister of Health (Pharmac) David SeymourDear Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis, and Associate Minister of Health (Pharmac) David Seymour. In August last year a promise was made to fund 13 new cancer medicines via a $280 million ring-fenced fund to Pharmac.  According to the National election manifesto, that fund was to start on July 1 this year by rei...

Cancer Patients Missing Out

The Gut Cancer Foundation is deeply disappointed in the failure of this government to stick to National’s pre-election pledges to provide funding for new cancer treatments.Whilst we welcome the announcement of funding for Pharmac, this only funds existing treatments, not the funding for new, vitally important medicines that were pledged in the lead up to the election.The fact that New Zealanders are forced to fundraise through GiveaLittle pages, or even leave the country to access what is comm...

Cancer Research Month

Research is a vital part of cancer care and is how we improve outcomes for the future. Clinical trials are how we put research into practice. They take studies from the bench to the bedside, advancing discoveries made in laboratories into treatments aiming to extend life, improve quality of life, and provide important data on new treatments to improve standard of care. They are a vital step in shifting the dial for cancers of the digestive system.Cancer research can be complex. It can often take...

Anthony Vriens and Catherine Foster Join GCF Board

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Anthony Vriens and Catherine Foster to the Board of Trustees for the Gut Cancer Foundation.Anthony has over 20 years experience across in both medicine and insurance, across New Zealand, Australia and Asia. A doctor by training, he has spent his career specialising in health and health outcomes. He also holds an MBA from the University of Auckland and is currently a professional director and strategy adviser.Catherine Foster is a governance professi...

Gut Cancer Foundation Calling on Kiwis to Give It Up For Gut Cancer This March

$350,000 needed for research to change outcomes for Kiwis with cancers of the digestive system.For the more-than 6000 Kiwis a year diagnosed with a gut cancer, the road ahead is tough. Gruelling treatments, major surgery, limited options, and an uncertain future face the 17 Kiwis diagnosed every single day.Gut cancers are serious. Eight Kiwis die from them every day. Cancers of the digestive system are the most common form of cancer in NZ, and they're among the deadliest. People who are diagnose...

Dr Ben Lawrence Joins GCF Board

We are delighted to announce that Dr Ben Lawrence MBChB, MSc, FRACP has joined the Board of Trustees for the Gut Cancer Foundation.A leading Medical Oncologist and researcher, Dr Lawrence specialises in caring for patients with gastrointestinal cancers and neuroendocrine tumours, cancer molecular profiling and cancer genomics.Dr Lawrence is also heavily involved with research and is theHead of Oncology and Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Medical and Health Science...

Three Research Awards Distributed In November

Thanks to our generous community. The Gut Cancer Foundation opened a $200,000 grant round for the New Zealand research community earlier this year. We granted three awards in total and are really pleased that they all aim to improve quality of life for gut cancer patients where the treatments and symptoms are really tough. One of the awards supports an international trial through the Australiasian Gastro-Intestional Trials Group (AGITG) and the other two are New Zealand based studies.Dr Ang...

Gut Cancer Foundation Joins Other to Urge New Government to stop the repeal of Aotearoa’s smokefree laws

The Gut Cancer Foundation has joined Health Coalition Aotearoa (HCA) along with its members and other organisations to support a campaign to retain the existing Smokefree law to save thousands of lives.Tobacco use and breathing in other people's smoke (second-hand smoke) causes about 5,000 deaths every year through cancer, stroke and heart disease. It is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in New Zealand. It is a leading factor in increasing risk of developing cancer."New Zea...

GCF calls for more funding for pancreatic cancer research

This November, the Gut Cancer Foundation is once again shining a light on pancreatic cancer. This year’s Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month brings new hope for action and a sea change in how we combat the disease, as three separate, major clinical trials promise to zero in on different stages of pancreatic cancer and, potentially, several other cancers.The GCF is both funding New Zealand-generated research (IPMN) and giving New Zealanders access to international clinical trials. The three tria...

An urgent call to arms for political action on cancer

A coalition of New Zealand’s leading cancer charities, CANGO (Cancer Non-Governmental Organisations) has issued an urgent call to our political parties ahead of the election, to take action on cancer.  Cancer remains New Zealand’s single biggest cause of death and 75,000 Kiwis will be diagnosed with it during the next term of government. Although great strides have been made to improve cancer survival in our country, New Zealanders still face vastly different experiences when it co...

GCF Joins the Cancer Society and Hei Āhuru Mōwai to Support Māori Research

The Māori Cancer Researcher Awards 2023 are for researchers who are committed to hauora Māori, maximising Māori cancer health gains, and addressing existing cancer and health inequities. Both Masters and PhD scholarships are available.This year is the first time when a Masters Scholarship will also be offered in collaboration with the Gut Cancer Foundation.Cancer Society of New Zealand Research Manager Dr Nicole Stanton said the Māori Cancer Researcher Awards “demonstrate ou...

Thank you to the Ferrari Owners Club of New Zealand

The club have supported our cause in the past and for the last two years we are grateful to have been chosen as their charity partner. Through a variety of activities including auctions and track days, the club has raised an amazing $30,000 in the last 2 years alone. Terry Dykes, President of the Ferrari Owners Club of New Zealand says ""On behalf of the Ferrari Owners of NZ I would like to say how pleased we are to be on board as a sponsor for the Gut Cancer Foundation ...

Medical Oncologists Call for Immediate Attention to the Widening Medicine Gap in Aotearoa New Zealand for Gastro-Intestinal Cancer Patients

The gastrointestinal special interest group undertook to communicate with Pharmac on a regular basis with regards to our assessment of the landscape of systemic anti-GI cancer therapy including horizon scanning.In 2020, we shared our priority list and added “horizon scanning.” It is notable that none of these drugs are yet funded two years later. Our priorities in no particular orderCetuximab-all ras/raf wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer-left-sided primary tumour location -giv...

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Kate Clarke to our Scientific Advisory Committee.

Kate is an experienced medical oncologist and is a proud Wellingtonian with a real love for the windy city. She completed her medical training in Otago, Wellington and London. She has a holistic approach and is passionate about patient-centered care,  and believes patients can and should play an active role in their healthcare. Her clinical experience covers a broad range of solid tumor malignancies with special clinical interest in bowel cancer, and upper gastrointestinal cancers.Kate is i...

GCF Announces Gut Cancer Research Funding Round

The Gut Cancer Foundation is pleased to announce a funding round for Gut Cancer research and trials.The funds raised during GIVE IT UP for Gut Cancer 2023 have allowed the foundation to create a funding round for New Zealand researchers and clinicians to the value of $150,000.The Request for Proposals has gone out to the scientific community with the aim of announcing the successful applications in mid-November.Thank you to our wonderful GIVE IT UP community who have made this possible!...

Gut Cancer Foundation Honours Patron Dame Rosie Horton

We are saddened to hear about the passing of Gut Cancer Foundation patron, Dame Rosie Horton.Patron Dame Rosemary Horton DNZM QSO QSM was a philanthropist and mentor for New Zealand charities. Her passion and focus for her charitable work spanned over 40 years. She was the founding Chair of the following: Friends of Aotea Trust, The Aotea Centre Performing Arts Trust, Friends of Starship and Patron of the Starship Foundation, chair of NZ Breast Cancer Foundation and a support to numerous other c...

GIVE IT UP for Gut Cancer fundraisers share their 'why'.

This month, 1630 kiwis have decided to GIVE IT UP for Gut Cancer and chosen to forego the sofa, booze or sugar to drive awareness and raise funds for kiwis living with a cancer of the digestive system. Some of our participants have shared their stories with media, sharing their 'why' and motivations for taking part, like so many of our 'Give IT Upper's' they are taking part because they have lost someone or have a loved one currently going through a gut cancer. We are so grateful to these a...