Research
The foundation will fund research into finding and treating peritoneal metastasis from colon cancer, for patients everywhere. It will do this through grants to researchers and institutions.
What peritoneal metastasis is
The peritoneum is the thin layer of tissue that lines the inside of the abdomen and covers most of the organs in it. When colon cancer spreads there, it usually grows as many small deposits across that lining.
These deposits are often too small to see on a CT scan, so many patients are diagnosed late, after symptoms such as swelling from fluid in the abdomen (ascites), pain, or a blocked bowel.
Treatment depends on how far the disease has spread and on the patient’s overall health. It can include chemotherapy, surgery to remove the visible disease (cytoreductive surgery), and in some centres chemotherapy given directly into the abdomen, either heated (HIPEC) or as a pressurised aerosol (PIPAC). Not every hospital offers these treatments.
Some figures
- 1.9 millionpeople were diagnosed with colorectal cancer worldwide in 2022. It is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death. [1]
- About 1 in 10people with colorectal cancer are found to have peritoneal metastasis at diagnosis or within three years, in a nationwide Dutch study. [2]
What we plan to fund
Earlier detection
Ways to find peritoneal spread before symptoms start, including imaging, blood tests such as circulating tumour DNA, and clearer guidance on who to check and when.
Better treatment
Research into surgery, chemotherapy given into the abdomen, and systemic treatment, and into which patients benefit from each.
Access to research
Fellowships and training for doctors and scientists, patient registries, and wider access to clinical trials.
Symptom control
Studies on palliative care for problems such as bowel obstruction and ascites.
How grants will be awarded
- Open calls for proposals, published on this site.
- Review by independent scientists and doctors, under conflict-of-interest rules.
- No grants to members of the founding family or the board.
- Spending and results published every year.
For researchers
If you are a researcher or a doctor working on colorectal cancer or peritoneal metastasis and want to hear when grants open, email us.
Sources
- Bray F, et al. Global cancer statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 2024.
- Lurvink RJ, et al. Increase in the incidence of synchronous and metachronous peritoneal metastases in patients with colorectal cancer: a nationwide study. European Journal of Surgical Oncology, 2021.