Musculoskeletal Oncology
- Benign bone tumors (bone cysts, osteochondromas, fibrous dysplasia)
- Malignant bone tumors (osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma)
- Benign soft tissue tumors (lipoma, neurofibroma, hemangioma)
- Malignant soft tissue tumors (soft tissue sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma)
Sarcoma Program at Hasbro Children's Hospital
All newly diagnosed patients with cancer are reviewed at the biweekly multidisciplinary pediatric tumor board. Those in attendance include nurses, social workers, pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists, pediatric oncologists, pediatric general surgeons and surgical subspecialists, including orthopedic surgeons.
The purpose of the meeting is to ensure an accurate diagnosis, the completeness of staging studies, coordination of the different aspects of treatment and eligibility for open protocols, which are usually coordinated through the Children’s Oncology Group (COG).
Current sarcoma protocols frequently involve testing of dose intensification, new agents and genetic analysis of tumors, with the long-term goal of identifying biologic targets.
Complex surgeries and reconstructions are performed by orthopedic oncology and pediatric orthopedic, hand, plastic, urologic, neurologic and general surgeons. They perform a variety of resections and reconstructions, such as bone and soft tissue transfer, tendon transfers, nerve grafting, spinal stabilization, thoracic and abdominal wall and visceral reconstructions.
Children's Oncology Group
The COG is a clinical trials group supported by the National Cancer Institute, with more than 200 children’s hospitals participating. The COG has approximately 100 open clinical trials at any given time. Hasbro Children’s Hospital (through Rhode Island Hospital) is a COG center.
The COG was formed in 2000 through a merger of four groups with a history dating back to 1955. The history of COG and its forerunners is a success story. The enrollment of pediatric patients in clinical trials has been historically high, resulting in an overall combined five-year survival rate of 80 percent for all children with cancer.
More about pediatric orthopedics at Hasbro Children's Hospital