5TH ANNUAL STEPS TO CURE SARCOMA

What is Sarcoma?

Sarcomas are rare cancers of the bones and soft tissues including muscles, blood vessels, fat, nerves, tendons and other connective tissues. They affect approximately 12,000 people each year in the United States. Bone sarcomas are more common among children, and soft tissue sarcomas are more common in adults. Advanced imaging techniques are used to evaluate the tumor characteristics and accurately pinpoint their location. Image-guided biopsies are performed by musculoskeletal radiologists and the diagnoses determined by experienced musculoskeletal pathologists. Pet dogs develop spontaneous sarcomas that are similar to human sarcomas. The Veterinary and Medical schools work together to incorporate canine models into the Penn Sarcoma Program to accelerate understanding sarcoma pathogenesis and to bring effective therapies into the human and veterinary clinics.