Summary of Program
Bone and soft tissue (BST) tumours, as defined by the WHO Classification are coded for: benign tumours; un-specified, borderline or uncertain behaviour tumours; and malignant tumours or sarcomas. A sarcoma is a malignant tumour derived from cancerous bone, cartilage, fat, muscle and vascular or hematopoietic tissues. There are more than 80 different subtypes of sarcoma, many of which have distinct clinical characteristics with unique natural history and tumour biology. These rare cancers account for: 1% of the adult cancer population, 20% of the paediatric cancer population, 10% of the adolescent and young adult cancer populations (aged 15-25).
The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Unit (The RPA Sarcoma Service) is recognised as a world leader in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with known, or suspected sarcoma. The service offers individualised care for patients, based on current, evidenced-based practice. As one of six sarcoma services in Australia, the RPA Sarcoma Service receives referrals from across NSW and Australia. The RPA Sarcoma Service is responsible for more than 80% of primary bone sarcoma and 40% of soft tissue sarcoma care for adults in NSW. The service is dedicated to research about the disease and has dedicated clinical trials coordinators
Highlights
- To support the expansion of surgical research the RPA Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Unit together became integrated with the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe) in 2023. The research team have since established a comprehensive centralised electronic database containing information about all procedures performed under the service. Extensive patient information, type of sarcoma, surgical outcomes, quality of life, patient experience and survivorship data are currently captured. This enables close monitoring and reporting of the patient, clinician and organisational level.
- The RPA Bone and Sarcoma Unit has several national and international collaborations including the Australian New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA), which comprises of a community of Sarcoma Specialists, whose vision and effective collaboration is aimed at improving the outcome of sarcoma patients, through education, research and awareness.
If you would like to get involved with our Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Research Program, submit an expression of interest HERE.