Two cancer charities are teaming up to invest half a million pounds into research to improve the diagnosis of bone and soft tissue cancers, known as sarcomas.
Sarcoma cancers are often diagnosed late, meaning there are fewer options available for treatment and a higher chance of treatments not working.
Sarcoma UK and Bone Cancer Research Trust will each commit £250,000 in research funding following a conference in Leeds which brought together over 70 representatives from the sarcoma and wider cancer diagnosis research communities and people affected by sarcoma. They discussed challenges and defined priorities for new research into sarcoma diagnosis.
Among key issues identified at the conference were a lack of defined at-risk groups, variable knowledge of sarcoma symptoms among primary care professionals, inefficient and non-standardised referral pathways, misinterpretation of scans, and a lack of data collection.
For the first time Sarcoma UK and Bone Cancer Research Trust are working together on a joint research funding call to support scientific and clinical research projects which aim to improve how sarcomas are detected and diagnosed.
Delays to sarcoma diagnosis can mean a higher risk of the cancer spreading to other parts of the body, increased risk of amputation, and huge impacts on patients’ mental health. As such, research into improving the diagnosis of sarcoma is known to be a huge priority for people affected by sarcoma, second only to finding new and better treatments.
Dr Sorrel Bickley, Sarcoma UK’s Director of Research, Policy and Support, said: “Research to improve sarcoma diagnosis is so badly needed. Sarcomas can affect anyone, at any age, and occur anywhere in the body. People with a sarcoma face a lengthy, confusing and often frightening wait to get the correct sarcoma diagnosis and we need that to change.
“We know that one in three sarcoma patients wait at least six months from first presenting with symptoms. We hope that by working together, Sarcoma UK and Bone Cancer Research Trust can change that picture.”
Dr Zoe Davison, Head of Research, Information and Support at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, said: “We are incredibly proud to be working together with Sarcoma UK on this vital funding call, which we hope will offer fresh hope to sarcoma patients. Our patients are at the heart of everything we do, and they highlighted research to improve the diagnosis of sarcoma as a priority, making us committed to honouring and delivering this to enable more patients to survive and thrive. Collaboration is key to making this a reality, and it is an honour to be bringing our two charities together to help give patients a better future.”
