Our challenge 

The majority of cancer patients and survivors experience long-lasting physical, emotional, and social challenges as a result of the disease and its treatment. Despite this clear need, people affected by cancer often have insufficient access to appropriate formal psychosocial care and support. Informal care — such as peer support and help from volunteers — can also play an important role in meeting these needs. However, this type of support is currently not sufficiently available or structurally embedded within the healthcare system.  

Our dream 

We believe that everyone living with or after cancer should experience the best possible quality of life and should be able to participate in society as much as they desire. This means that psychosocial care and support (both during and beyond the hospital trajectory) needs to be based on the personal situation and needs of each patient. Patients for whom full recovery is no longer possible should have access to palliative care, always tailored to their individual preferences and values.

Our activities 

We use a variety of instruments to work towards realizing our dream, including project funding, campaigns and public affairs activities.  

• We invest in training for healthcare professionals in palliative care. As well as improving healthcare professionals’ knowledge of psychosocial support.
• We run campaigns, such as Leven tot het Laatst (Living to the Last) to raise public awareness and understanding of palliative care.  
• We also advocate for the structural integration of informal care within the healthcare system and fund various projects aimed at improving care and support for people affected by cancer.  

To improve (former) cancer patients’ quality of life, excellent, ambitious, and innovative research is needed. We want to stimulate and facilitate research projects that have the potential to positively impact the daily lives of patients and their loved ones, also in the final stages of life.  

Together with the field, KWF is charting a new course to accelerate research into quality of life, psychosocial oncology, and palliative care. Extra investments are made to enhance the accessibility and quality of psychosocial and palliative care. We use a targeted funding approach, through thematic calls in tracks and the development of an ecosystem that fosters scientific collaboration in the field.  

Our targeted funding possibilities  

For the most up-to-date overview, see www.kwf.nl/calls

There are currently two main research tracks: (1) shared decision-making and communication and (2) palliative interventions. As our research strategy progresses, we may define new tracks in close collaboration with the field.  

• Shared decision-making and communication  
  To improve patients’ quality of life and advance psychosocial support, our efforts will be directed to shared decision-making and communication interventions that have the potential to reduce health disparities and promote diversity, equity and inclusion in research and oncology care. In addition, we are prioritizing initiatives that successfully seek to motivate clinicians to implement shared decision-making and communication interventions in daily practice, also among patients who are vulnerable. New funding mechanisms are currently under development.
   
• Palliative interventions  
  In palliative care, disease burden and support needs can be high. We strive to stimulate research aimed at providing a solid evidence base for palliative care interventions, taking into account what patients and their families want and need. In 2022, we opened a theme call for research into symptom management and funded 3 projects. In 2024, a theme call launched to focus on enhancing diversity and inclusion in palliative care and 6 projects were funded.