Bone Tumors and Sarcoma
Sarcomas are cancers that begin in bone and connective tissue, such as muscle, fat, blood vessels and cartilage. Surgeons at John Theurer Cancer Center are leading experts in performing complex sarcoma surgery.
Our orthopedic oncologists specialize in personalized, science-backed treatments. In fact, our world-renown researchers were among the first to demonstrate that immunotherapy can result in durable remissions and potentially prolong life for patients with sarcoma who are resistant to all standard therapy.
Our goal is to treat your bone cancer/sarcoma while taking into account all physical, functional, emotional and quality-of-life aspects of your disease during this challenging time. We don’t just care for you, but about you.
Diagnosing Bone Tumors and Sarcoma
Diagnosing sarcoma requires imaging and biopsy of the tumor. You may have one or more of these tests:
- Biopsy: If imaging tests suggest you might have a sarcoma, a needle biopsy or surgical biopsy will be performed to remove a small sample of the tumor for testing.
- Bone Scan: A bone scan is done to identify areas of physical and chemical changes in bone.
- CT Scan: This scan takes X-rays from different angles to create detailed, cross-section images of the mass and other structures in your body.
- Molecular Diagnosis: Techniques used to analyze biological markers in the genome and proteome.
- MRI: This test uses magnets and radio waves to take detailed pictures that reveal the size of the mass, the type of tissue it originated in and whether it has spread to nearby tissues.
- Positron emission tomography (PET): This scan reveals details about your blood flow, oxygen intake and metabolism of your organs and tissues to reveal any problems at the cellular level.
- Ultrasound: This test can sometimes show if a lump is a benign, fluid-filled cyst or a solid mass.
Our Research and Clinical Trials
At Hackensack Meridian Health, you may have the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial of new and exciting approaches to stem cell transplant. Our research has a strong focus on reducing the complications of transplant and also lowering the risk of disease recurrence. We are the first in the world to combine checkpoint inhibitors (drugs that inhibit the proteins cancer cells use to evade detection by the immune system) after transplantation, at a time when the immune system has the best opportunity to eliminate any remaining cancer cells.
Patient Stories
Bone Tumors and Sarcoma Treatment Options
We treat sarcomas of every grade and type and are leaders in diagnosing and treating bone tumors and sarcomas and offer a range of treatment options and approaches. Our multidisciplinary sarcoma care team includes orthopedic oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, nurses, social workers, palliative medicine specialists, physical therapists and many others others who work closely together to customize a plan of care that will meet your unique needs.
We typically treat sarcomas with surgery and use precision medicine to identify the most effective therapies for your tumor type.
Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy: We analyze your cancer to identify genetic mutations and learn about the molecular signals driving its growth, enabling us to select chemotherapy combinations and targeted therapies based on the biology of your disease.
Robotic-Assisted Surgery: We have one of the largest robotic surgery programs in the New York metropolitan area and are an international leader in using this advanced technology, which often leads to better outcomes, fewer complications and a faster recovery. Cancer surgeons at John Theurer Cancer Center perform more minimally invasive cancer surgeries than any other center in New Jersey.
We provide the most advanced radiation therapy available today, featuring state-of-the-art technologies that finely target radiation to tumors while sparing nearby healthy tissue.
