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 tumour 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. 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. Ken Croitoru, MD, MDCM FRCP(C) (Professor of Medicine and Immunology, UofT; Clinical Scientist Division of Gastroenterology, and Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute Mount Sinai Hospital)
- David Croitoru, MD, FRCPC, DABD (Clinical Associate, Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, UofT and a Desmoid Patient)
- Dr. Xiaolan Feng, MD, Msc, PhD (Clinical Associate Professor, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Tom Baker Cancer Center, Calgary)
- Dr. Joanna Przbyl, PhD (Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, McGill University; Principal Investigator, Cancer Research Program, Research Institute – McGill University Health Centre)