The Desmoid Tumour Foundation of Canada (DFC) is a registered Canadian charity dedicated to funding research for a cure for desmoid tumours.DFC was founded in 2016, motivated by a personal connection to the disease. Thanks to the benefits of research underway through the US foundation DTRF, we have seen improvements but there is more to be done.
Our goal in Canada is to raise funds for research as well as to provide a framework for a support network for those affected.
Research Funding
DFC is the only Canadian foundation dedicated to funding desmoid tumour research and finding a cure for this rare disease.
Research seeks to determine what goes wrong in cells to generate these tumours, what medical and surgical options work best, and what existing drugs or potential new drugs could provide effective treatments.
DFC supports the collaboration between researchers from different institutions to expedite the development of a cure. Discoveries made through desmoid tumor research can also potentially be applied to many other kinds of cancers.
Our Medical Advisory Board
DFC is supported by medical experts to help direct funding and research strategies to enhance the research activity in desmoids.
Advisory Board:
- Dr. Abha Gupta, MD, MSc, FRCP (Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, UofT; Staff Oncologist, Solid Tumour Program, Hospital for Sick Children; Staff Oncologist, Sarcoma Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; Medical Director, Adolescent & Young Adult Program, PMCC; Co-Medical Director, Fertility Preservation Program, Sickkids)
- Dr. Rebecca Gladdy, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS (Assistant Professor, General Surgery, UofT; Staff Surgeon, General Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital; Staff Surgeon, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PMCC); Associate Member, Lunenfeld-Tannenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System)
- Dr. Benjamin A. Alman, MD (Chair of Orthopedic Surgery; Professor, Cell Biology, Pediatrics, Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine & Health System)
- Dr. Martin Blackstein, MD, FRCP(C) (Retired Oncologist, Mt Sinai Hospital & Princess Margaret Hospital)
- Dr. Ken Croitoru, MD, MDCM FRCP(C) (Professor of Medicine and Immunology, UofT; Division of Gastroenterology, Mount Sinai Hospital)
- David Croitoru, MD candidate 2017 (UofT Faculty of Medicine; desmoid patient)
