June 2026

NETRF's 2025 Annual Report showcases the progress our community is making to advance neuroendocrine cancer research while offering invaluable education and support to patients and their loved ones. Through stories, videos, and research highlights, you'll see how NETRF is not only funding innovative science, but also helping lead the field through strategic investments, scientific collaboration, and a clear vision for accelerating progress.

The report highlights the launch of NETRF's Research Roadmap, our growing focus on immunotherapy and early detection, and new patient education resources for neuroendocrine carcinoma. We take you inside our annual research symposium, and you’ll hear directly from researchers pursuing new approaches to diagnosis and treatment, as well as patients, caregivers, and supporters whose passion and partnership make this work possible.

As you explore these stories, you'll see a simple truth: progress happens when people choose to invest in hope.

We invite you to explore the report and celebrate all that we’ve accomplished together.

The Annual Report reflects what we have accomplished together. Our June Matching Gift Challenge is an opportunity to help create what comes next.

In June, every gift to NETRF* will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000, thanks to a generous gift from NETRF Board member Steve Kaufer. We're thrilled to share that, thanks to your extraordinary generosity, we've already reached our $100,000 match goal. 

But our work doesn't stop there. Every breakthrough matters to those waiting for better answers. Your gift today helps drive the discoveries that improve lives for patients and their families tomorrow. 

We're grateful that you're a part of this exceptional community that is helping us unlock breakthroughs for everyone affected by neuroendocrine cancer.

Let's Keep Going to Unlock Breakthroughs!

All eligible gifts* made between June 1 and June 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar. The match applies up to a total of $100,000

The Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation is pleased to share updates on the leadership and membership of its Board of Scientific Advisors (BOSA), including a new chair, a new vice chair and a new member. Learn more about their experience and what they bring to their new roles. 

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Small cell lung cancer is its own disease, distinct from the neuroendocrine cancers many in our community know personally. But it is also a neuroendocrine cancer, and that connection makes it worth watching. Progress there can help all of us ask sharper questions, design better studies, and find better treatments for neuroendocrine cancers that start elsewhere in the body. Here's what we learned at the 2026 Small Cell Lung Cancer Consortium hosted by the National Cancer Institute. 

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Through the Know Your NETs survey, patients and caregivers asked many urgent questions about treatment: What happens after Lutathera? Can peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) be repeated? What is alpha PRRT? How do doctors decide what comes next? And why don’t we have clearer answers about treatment sequencing?

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The American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, the world’s largest oncology conference, was held this month in Chicago. Udhayvir Singh Grewal, MD, GI/Neuroendocrine Medical Oncologist and Assistant Professor at Emory University/Winship Cancer Institute shares  reports on a dedicated neuroendocrine tumor session, the notable and important studies focused on neuroendocrine neoplasms, and a breakthrough in another type of cancer in this guest blog.

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For many people living with neuroendocrine cancer, the journey begins with a singular focus: survival. A diagnosis brings uncertainty, difficult treatment decisions, symptom management challenges, and profound questions about the future. In those early days, making it through each appointment, scan, or treatment can feel like a victory in itself.

But what happens after the initial shock subsides? What does it mean to not only survive, but to truly live well?

This is where the concept of Thrivership begins.

Join us online on July 18 for our largest annual patient and caregiver conference. Informed by your feedback, this conference is designed for patients and caregivers navigating every stage of the neuroendocrine cancer journey — from diagnosis and treatment decisions to long-term management and thrivership.

When: Saturday July 18 |  11 AM - 4 PM ET
Where: Online via Livestream

In this episode of NETWise, we explore the evolving science of tumor heterogeneity, grade progression, and changing biology in neuroendocrine cancers — alongside the very human stories of living through those changes. Leading experts including Dr. Aman Chauhan, Dr. Nancy Joseph, Dr. Mark Lewis and Dr. Jaydira Del Rivero discuss the latest research and clinical insights surrounding these important questions.

On June 13, the Katherine's Light Foundation (KLF) community gathered once again in Severna Park, Maryland, for its annual music festival honoring Katherine Mueller's life and legacy. Over the years, this event has become so much more than a fundraiser. It is a powerful example of what can happen when a community embraces a cause as its own and comes together year after year to create hope for others.

Matt Mueller of Katherine's Light Foundation (left) and NETRF Board member Suzie Ludlow (right) at the Katherine's Light Foundation Music Festival. 

We are deeply grateful to everyone who attended, volunteered, sponsored, and supported this year's event. A special thank you to NETRF Board Vice President Suzie Ludlow, a longtime friend of Katherine and her family, for representing NETRF at the festival.

Through their generosity, KLF has helped advance research for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs), the type of neuroendocrine cancer Katherine had. Most recently, the foundation supported the work of Dr. Tanya Stoyanova at UCLA, who investigated a protein called UCHL1 in PanNETs. Her team found that UCHL1 is highly expressed in these tumors and demonstrated that inhibiting it reduced tumor growth. The research also suggests that UCHL1 may serve as a biomarker for earlier detection, opening promising new avenues for both diagnosis and treatment.

Because of this extraordinary community, Katherine's legacy continues to live on through research, discovery, and hope.

From local communities to international competitions, supporters around the world are raising funds, building awareness, and helping accelerate research breakthroughs. Here are a few upcoming events.

Good Scan Cans Golf Classic
hosted by Jake and Taylor Dawson
August 13, 2026
Elmwood Park Golf Course
6232 Pacific Street
Omaha, NE 68106

Sowing Memories: Community Clean-Up & Bluebonnet Planting in Memory of Ana Carolina Medina Castillo
September 5, 2026
Monarch View Park
Frisco, Texas

Frank DeBenedetto Memorial Golf Tournament
September 29, 2026
Nob Hill Golf Course
Manalapan, NJ

Matt's 2-Miler, hosted by Abby Griffin
September 2026
South Boston, MA

A Walk for Brandon, hosted by the Raabe Family
October 2 - November 10, 2026
Virtual Walk
Midland, TX & Cincinnati, OH

18th Annual Firsty Family Moonlight Walk
in memory of Julie Seltzer-Firsty
October 2026
Palo Alto, CA 

A Night for Sheryl, hosted by Jim Jungsten
November 7, 2026
Fair Oaks, CA

If you’re interested in hosting or getting involved in a community event, please contact Steve Perna at steve.perna@netrf.org. We’d love to work with you!

Josh Mailman (third from right) is awarded Honorary Fellow by SNMMI. 

NETRF is proud to celebrate a well-deserved honor for our Board President, Josh Mailman, MBA. The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) named him an Honorary Fellow earlier this month at their Annual Meeting in Los Angeles — recognition of his exceptional contributions to patient advocacy and nuclear medicine.

Josh has served on the NETRF Board since 2015. Beyond his work with NETRF, he has long advocated for neuroendocrine tumor patients through his work with support groups and medical societies, as well as his involvement in the National Cancer Institutes’ Task force on Neuroendocrine Tumor and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He is also a past recipient of the SNMMI Presidential Distinguished Service Award.

We are grateful to have Josh leading our Board and congratulate him on this honor.

NET Research Foundation
100 Hancock Street,
Third floor
Quincy, MA 02171
(617) 946-1780 info@netrf.org

The mission of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation is to fund research to discover cures and more effective treatments for neuroendocrine cancer. NETRF is the largest global funder of neuroendocrine research and a preeminent resource for expert patient education and support.



NETRF is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.