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Businesses Must Help Address Alarming Rates Of Gut Cancer

Johnathan Mitchell of NBR spoke to two businesses getting behind GIVE IT UP For Gut Cancer.Donna Weston of Clear Head Drinks says rather than do away with the Friday drinks and work social events, It's important for businesses to be responsible employers by educating staff and providing healthier drinking and eating options in the workplace.Kirk Bakker owner of construction group C3 Construction says his company encourages a healthy way of living and have had nutritionists come and speak to staf...

Gut Cancer Foundation Is Named As NZ Beneficiary Of New Soap Brand Shope

We are delighted to announce that we are bringing some hope to New Zealand… or rather SHOPE, to be precise.We are the New Zealand beneficiaries of SHOPE - a new range of luxury bath products with a percentage of the proceeds going towards world-class research into kicking low-survival cancers where it hurts, right here in New Zealand.So, what products are included in the lineup? We're so glad you asked. There’s a luscious and beautiful range of exquisitely fragrant soap, nourishing hand and...

We're Asking Kiwis To GIVE IT UP For Gut Cancer This March

This March, Gut Cancer Foundation is asking for Aotearoa to GIVE IT UP For Gut Cancer by choosing to ditch alcohol, sugar or the sofa and raise funds for their efforts.During the month, participants are supported by the Gut Cancer Foundation team, and a whole month of webinars including: getting prepared, how to deal with cravings, the impact of alcohol, sugar on the gut and with recipe ideas and support to get moving. A real sense of community is built over the month with participants cheering ...

Stomach Cancer Awareness In The Media

As a part of our Stomach Cancer Awareness Month in August, we helped Dr Karen Paringatai tell her story.  Karen is a carrier of the CDH1 genetic mutation that means diffuse-type stomach cancer has a  70-80% likelihood of developing. To combat this, she had her stomach removed.  During the awareness month, Karen spoke to a number of media outlets to share her story and raise awareness of the importance of knowing your whakapapa. She spoke to Women's Day about how reconnecting with ...

GCF announces new grant for pancreatic cancer research

Every year, hundreds of New Zealanders are diagnosed with a form of pancreatic cyst known as intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN). The likelihood that these cysts develop into pancreatic cancer varies, but for those at most risk, there is a 25% chance that their IPMN's will develop into pancreatic cancer within 10 years. For this high-risk group, the recommended treatment is radical surgery, which carries with it significant risks. Because of other health issues and potential comorbid...

In the news: pancreatic cancer patient raising awareness of deadly 'forgotten cancer'

Gut Cancer Foundation ambassador Nyree Smith was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer more than five years ago. She had no symptoms, just a bossy new GP who insisted she be tested. She spoke to Amanda Gillies about her journey and the inception of the PanCan Gala and why she is determined to make a difference.Watch the full interview here....

PanCan Gala Raises over $120,000 for Pancreatic Cancer Research and Awareness

Friday 18 November saw the Auckland War Memorial Museum host the first ever PanCan Gala. Two years in the making, the gala was the idea of Nyree Smith while she was undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. She wanted to create an event that would raise funds for research and awareness specifically for pancreatic cancer. Along the way, she brought together a talented committee who created a cocktail evening of entertainment, refreshments, fundraising bringing together a hundreds of peo...

Upcoming webinar: Diet & Nutrition in Pancreatic cancer

Join us and our guest speakers, Dr Amanda Landers and Helen Brown, for this free online webinar where we will discuss diet and nutrition in relation to pancreatic cancer. We will explore how a pancreatic cancer diagnosis impacts on diet and nutrition, discuss what to consider during treatment and following surgery, the importance of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT) and the role of diet and nutrition support during palliative care. Dr Amanda Landers is currently a senior clinical lec...

GCF launches Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of all major cancers. With symptoms often vague, mild, missed, or ignored, 80 to 95 percent of those diagnosed are in stage 3 or 4, too late for curative surgery. Over 700 New Zealanders are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and more than 600 lose their lives to it each year.   This November, World Pancreatic Cancer Month, the Gut Cancer Foundation (GCF) is on a mission to educate and raise awareness for early diagnosis, improve su...

Nyree Smith Wins Global Volunteer Award at World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition Summit

Pancreatic Cancer is one of the deadliest of the major cancers with a 5-year survival rate of less than 12%. To fight against these dire statistics, the Gut Cancer Foundation of New Zealand is a part of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, which brings together 99 organisations from over 40 countries who are determined to improve outcomes for patients and whānau. The World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition has just closed its annual summit – United for Change, which was held virtually across thre...

How using old medicines could offer new ways of treating colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second most common form of cancer in New Zealand and  while research in recent years has lead to a rapid increase in our understanding of how this form of cancer develops, there is still a need for much better treatments for this disease. The development of new medicines is expensive and time consuming but researchers at the University of Auckland have used this new knowledge of how this type of cancer develops to study how some existing medicines could potentially ...

The role of microbiome in gut cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment

Dr Purcell discussed the impact of diet and nutrition on gut microbiome, and the role that microbiome found in a tumour microenvironment can play in improving cancer diagnosis and treatment:...

Cancer care collaboration across the Tasman

A unique partnership between leading cancer charities in New Zealand and Australia aims to lift survival rates and improve quality of life for patients suffering from cancers of the upper digestive system, known as upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers.The Gut Cancer Foundation has signed an agreement with Australia’s Pancare Foundation to collaborate on a broad range of initiatives including co-investing in research, fundraising, sharing IP and digital assets and others, all with the aim of imp...

Thank You Lindsay Foundation

The Gut Cancer Foundation is committed to developing a comprehensive set of resources and information to guide and support New Zealanders impacted by cancers of the digestive system. This project requires the development of a new website and collaboration with other cancer support organisations, health literacy experts, and Māori health experts to ensure the information is accessible and relevant to a New Zealand audience.None of this would be possible without the generosity of the foundations ...

Website review - we need your help!

We are hosting online interactive sessions and invite you to share what information you think should be available on the website, to support New Zealanders who are affected by a type of Gut Cancer. Who are we looking for? We would love to hear from people with a lived experience of a Gut Cancer diagnosis, including:- People who have been diagnosed with a type of Gut Cancer. You might have had treatment in the past, or still going through treatment.- Support people such as family members; whanau ...

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 ...