PLANETS Cancer Charity helps patients with pancreatic, liver, colorectal, gastric, oesophageal and neuroendocrine cancer by funding patient support groups, innovative treatments and research.  Since 2011 we have raised more than £2,250,000!

PLANETS is dedicated to serving the needs of our regional population which extends from Lyme Regis to Bognor Regis and provides specialist cancer services to the 4 million people who live across Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands and West Sussex.

PLANETS Cancer Charity Key Achievements 

• Established a network of patient support groups and conferences, for pancreatic, colorectal, oesophogastric, pelvic and neuroendocrine cancer types across the Wessex region.
• Fundraised £1 million for the introduction of intra-operative radiotherapy (IORT) with the UK’s first mobile electron beam radiotherapy machine which is able to deliver radiotherapy to advanced cancers during surgery. This machine has already treated over 300 patients (Jun 2024) and is expected to treat another 2,000 during its lifetime. It has helped deliver groundbreaking results – published in leading international medical journals – by drastically reducing recurrence rates for these aggressive cancers.
• Funded several PhD and MD researchers in pancreatic, neuroendocrine and colorectal tumours, to work with the clinician-scientists in Southampton’s world-leading cancer immunology research department.
• Helped to achieve European Neuroendocrine Cancer Centre of Excellence status (2016).
• Funded Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HiPeC) at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) for treating advanced colorectal and pelvic cancers.
• Funded a full-time dietitian specialising in rare cancers with serious effects on the digestive system – one of the first in the UK.
• Invested in a range of small projects supporting treatment and care for PLANETS cancer patients from ultrasound machines, 3D anatomical models for outpatients, radioisotope delivery equipment, DAB radios for radiotherapy bunkers, psychotherapy sessions for patients struggling with their cancer diagnosis and targeted fitness support for cancer patients among many other small but significant and important items to assist cancer patients on their journey.

PLANETS Vision

Transforming cancer care in the South through our ‘family’ of patients, supporters and healthcare professionals to deliver world-leading innovation, research and support for those affected by cancer within the PLANETS community.

Our ethos is one of inclusivity, where doctors, patients, family members and supporters all recognise each other’s contributions and work together with a shared vision.

In line with our vision and objectives, we will ensure that:

• Patients and their families receive outstanding support
• The charity continues to support the provision of cutting-edge clinical care and treatment through investment in advanced and innovative treatments
• We consider our donors and beneficiaries in everything we do
• We are accountable for how we spend our income and the impact it makes
• We strive for continuous development and improvement
• We help drive a change in attitudes and improve optimism around PLANETS cancers

PLANETS ethos is based around two fundamental principles: Firstly, supporting our patients and their families by working together as a “whole team” with the doctors, nurses and other medical staff using the motivation of fundraising alongside our patients to help them fight cancer through the positive energy that this camaraderie creates. Secondly, we use the money that has been raised to provide the “icing on the cake“ by funding things that the NHS otherwise could not afford and stimulating innovation in cancer care through research and the introduction of new treatments.

Taking Action to Save Lives

PLANETS is more than just another local cancer charity, it is a motivating and unifying force that is changing the way that we approach the fight against cancer across the central south coast of England. Our aim is not just to save lives but also to enrich them in the process by helping the “whole team” to focus together on our shared goals.

PLANETS Commitments

We are currently committed to funding projects which include:

• Ongoing research into pancreatic cancer-associated diabetes, genetic variants and metabolomic analysis using the UK Biobank cohort to help develop effective strategies for the early detection of pancreatic cancer which is considered to have the worst survival outcome among cancers.
• Trial of 3D printed models of livers based on patients’ CT scans to allow for better-personalised planning of their operations by creating exact replicas of the organ.
• Clinical trials of novel treatments including chemosaturation therapy for liver cancer which works by isolating the liver from the rest of the body and ‘bathing’ it in much larger doses of chemotherapy than would normally be possible because it does not enter the bloodstream.
• Purchase of a robotic ultrasound probe that can be attached to 1 of the arms of the surgical robot in theatre in Southampton. This is used for highly specialist keyhole surgery on the liver and pancreas and it allows the surgeon to use the probe inside the patient to scan the liver and the area around the pancreas to guide the surgical robot during the operation. It allows the surgeon to get an accurate map of where the cancer is in relation to vital structures such as blood vessels.
• Investigating the opportunity of supporting the expansion of robotic cancer surgery for pancreatic, liver, neuroendocrine, oesophageal and colorectal cancers by jointly purchasing a state-of-the-art Divinci V which is the world’s best surgical robot, newly released in the USA, which will be available in the UK in 2026/2027. This should enable us to treat another 150 patients a year with this minimally invasive approach.
• Funding a cancer coach to give one-to-one support to patients and family members on their cancer journey.
• Funding an oesophageal and gastric cancer data controller to facilitate research into how computer modelling and artificial intelligence can ensure that all patients get access to all the most appropriate available treatments and trials across Dorset, Southampton and Portsmouth cancer centres.

PLANETS Five Year Targets

We need to raise £2 million over a five-year period between 2023 and 2028 to achieve our goals including £500,000 for patient support, £500,000 for research into PLANETS cancers and £650,000 for innovative treatments.

In the current, cost-cutting NHS environment, research and innovation are in danger of being sidelined. The PLANETS team aim to ensure that patients across our region and further afield still have access to the best available care.

Help us to raise funds to transform cancer care across the central South Coast.

There are many ways to get involved in fundraising for PLANETS and that may be individually, with friends or colleagues or corporately within an organisation. We would love to hear from all of you.

TEAM PLANETS