We are saddened to hear of the passing of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, who died of a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET) this morning. She was a legend in the music industry and it is difficult to find the appropriate words to express our sadness of this loss. “We understand the challenge and the pain that Ms. Franklin and her family endured as a result of her diagnosis” says Elyse Gellerman, CEO of the NET Research Foundation. “These challenges drive all of us at the NET Research Foundation to fund research to find treatments and cures on behalf of the approximately 170,000 people in the US with neuroendocrine tumors.”

Since 2005, the NET Research Foundation has invested more than $20 million dollars in neuroendocrine tumor research. Neuroendocrine tumors are rare and misunderstood. It is an uncommon cancer that is underfunded and under-resourced.

The NET Research Foundation is the leading private funder of NET cancer research and a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The mission of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation is to fund research to discover cures and more effective treatments for neuroendocrine cancer. NETRF awards large-scale, multi-year research grants to leading scientists at renowned research institutions around the world.