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 £1,900,000!

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 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 200 patients (Dec 2022) and is expected to treat another 2,000 during its lifetime. It has helped deliver ground breaking results – published in leading international medical journals – by drastically reducing recurrence rates for these aggressive cancers.
• Funded a full-time pancreatic and neuroendocrine tumour PhD and MD researcher 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).
• 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:

• A new minimally invasive treatment for the targeted ablation of tumours in the liver, pancreas and prostate, known as Irreversible Electroporation (IRE), or NanoKnife. Unlike current thermal ablation options IRE uses electric energy to destroy cancer cells which widens the scope of treatable disease due to the protection of critical structures in organs which can be damaged by other types of ablation.
• 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.
• Conversion of a room with the gastroenterology and hepatology ward footprint at UHS into a wellbeing room for PLANETS patients. This will provide a quiet space for private conversations as well as the opportunity for patients to relax or exercise using weights or cardio equipment to maintain their physical condition.
• 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.
• A peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) manual dose injector which is designed to reduce radiation exposure when treating cancers with targeted radioisotope therapy.
• 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.

PLANETS Five Year Targets

We need to raise £1.5 million over the next five years to achieve our goals of providing £250,000 for patient support, £500,000 for research into PLANETS cancers and £750,000 for innovative treatments.

In the current, cost-cutting NHS environment, research and innovation is 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