Improving Treatment Options for Astrocytoma Brain Cancer Patients
The Stephan Kaiser Foundation for Astrocytoma Research is a non-profit organization committed to advancing and improving treatment options for people affected by astrocytoma.
The foundation was established by Stephan Kaiser following the diagnosis of his daughter, Sabrina, with a grade 2 IDH-mutant astrocytoma at the age of 26. In January 2025, the tumor was successfully removed at Heidelberg University Hospital, with no residual tumor visible on postoperative MRI—a highly encouraging outcome associated with a favorable prognosis for the years ahead.
It is quite likely that one can live to a very old age with this disease – especially with a favorable prognosis. However, part of this prognosis is, that the tumor will most likely return – even multiple times – and then require further surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
The foundation was established based on the insight that there are currently various therapeutic approaches for astrocytoma treatments that cannot be pursued to the desired extent due to a lack of the necessary budgets and funding.
A focus of these initiatives is currently in the Mannheim-Heidelberg region. For this reason, the foundation is initially focusing its funding activities on a consortium of local working groups in this region only. In a further step, the foundation will also support projects and initiatives outside the Mannheim-Heidelberg region and on an opportunistic basis. In addition, the annual award of a research prize is planned.
If one or more of these approaches are successful, this could make a significant difference for all affected patients in terms of quality of life, time between treatments, and ultimately, life expectancy.
And this would be the ultimate reward for the founder and certainly also for all those who have dedicated their time, inspiration and expertise to improving the treatment options for astrocytomas.