Breaking a decades-long deadlock
The stark reality
Jilke’s story
At just 16 years old, Jilke Michielsen was a Belgian champion cyclist with her whole life ahead of her. Then severe back pain halted her athletic career. The diagnosis: Ewing sarcoma.
Jilke’s courage resonated beyond borders until her heartbreaking passing in May 2026, aged just 19. Her story put a human face on a painful reality: for young people facing cancer, treatment options remain limited.
A promise cut short
Primary bone cancers, such as osteosarcoma, and Ewing sarcoma mainly affect children, adolescents and young adults. These cancers are malignancies known for their rapid growth and the strong risks of spreading fast, most frequently to the lungs.
Survival rates have roughly remained the same since the introduction of chemotherapy in the late 1970s. In other words, new treatment options are urgently needed for progress.
This is where Anticancer Fund steps in
Why has progress stalled for forty years? Rare cancers affect smaller patient populations. Because there is little to no commercial profit for the pharmaceutical industry, clinical trials rarely happen.
And this is what turning evidence into care means.
Anticancer Fund exists precisely to bridge this gap. Where commercial interest ends, we step in to fund and drive independent research that saves young lives.
The FOSTER-CabOS trial
To break this decades-long deadlock, the FOSTER-CabOS trial is opening access to a promising, innovative treatment in more than 20 countries, with 530 patients set to join the study.
The study evaluates if adding a drug that works in other cancers to the treatment journey, can prevent relapse without adding toxicity.
The drug is Cabozantinib, a targeted small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that attacks cancer cells and starves tumours. It is already used today for the treatment of kidney and liver cancers.
AT A GLANCE
530 patients in 181 hospitals, in 19 countries
From 2026 to 2033
Lead investigator: Dr. Nathalie Gaspard, Institut Gustave Roussy, France
In collaboration with the ATTRACT-consortium
Total investment: 7.6 million euro
Funding by Anticancer Fund: 285.000 euro
Turning evidence into care, together.
Jilke’s story is a heartbreaking reminder of why we cannot accept the status quo. For too many years, young people facing cancer have been given too few options. The FOSTER-CabOS trial is our chance to change that. This study is a clear example of what Anticancer Fund stands for: turning solid scientific evidence into real care that reaches patients where they need it most.
But to make this life-saving progress a reality, we need your help.
- Bridge the gap: every contribution directly funds cancer research that industry leaves behind.
- Give young patients hope: your support brings effective treatments to young people facing aggressive cancers.
Help us to launch and run this trial. Support Anticancer Fund today.
Cancer puts life on hold. You can help them to move forward again.
