2018 Report to the Sarcoma Alliance Community

A special thanks to our 2018 major donors who made these outcomes possible:

Maria Cadigan                         Gina D'Amato, M.D.                      Tracey Talley 

Sarcoma News Corner

Here are some items posted recently on our Facebook News Page. For many more sarcoma-related news items, visit  us at https://www.facebook.com/sarcomaalliance 

Doxorubicin is one of the most effective sarcoma drugs, but has many serious side effects. Researchers are working to make it safer by creating a "pro-drug" that only turns toxic around cancer cells. 

Development of targeted and immune therapies has been a boon to rare cancer research, including sarcomas. This article states that sarcoma patients made up 6 percent of Phase 1 clinical trials, the earliest studies of new treatments, way more than the 1 percent of all cancers that are sarcomas.

Amazing report of how a child with infantile fibrosarcoma responded to the TRK-fusion targeted inhibitor Vitrakvi. As many sarcomas are associated with genetic fusions or other known mutations, one hopes this breakthrough treatment is one of many to come.

Dogs develop sarcomas much more often than people, and research on dog bone and soft tissue sarcomas may help people, too. This reports that a vaccine for dogs with osteosarcoma extended survival longer than chemotherapy. People next? 

The FDA has developed new guidances for clinical trial eligibility, with the aim of making them more inclusive. Two focus on increasing access for pediatric and adolescent age groups, particularly important for sarcomas as about one in every seven is a child.                                                                                                                                                                                      
Great story about a girl who lost her lower leg to sarcoma and is now a high school basketball star. Inspirational!

Are you a Public Relations Rock Star who can help the Sarcoma Alliance build awareness?

We are seeking a passionate volunteer Public Relations/Influencer Strategist who will help resourcefully drive the Sarcoma Alliance’s brand awareness through communications strategies including online and offline media relations, athletes, celebrities and influencer programs. Through your in-depth experience and knowledge using topics of public interest, you will increase our exposure to existing and new audiences and media. Your aim is to persuade the public, celebrities, athletes, and other stakeholders to maintain positive point of view about the Sarcoma Alliance’s mission to improve the lives of people affected by sarcoma through diagnosis, improved access to care, guidance, education and support. We are a diverse group of talented, enthusiastic and honest individuals who take great pride in helping sarcoma patients.  If you’d like to make an introduction and learn more, contact Marketing Committee Chair and Board Member Susan Brown at Susan90254@outlook.com. 

The Sarcoma Alliance and Ocean of Hope Fundraising Events Need Your Help

The Sarcoma Alliance and the Ocean of Hope team are hard at work raising awareness and making a positive impact for sarcoma cancer patients in 2019; however, we need your help.

We are seeking new sponsors to fuel our 2019 initiatives, our Annual Sarcoma Exchange event, our amazing Ocean of Hope team events. New sponsors can include a national consumer brand or other non-traditional partners who want to make a world of difference to rare cancer patients and engage in our successes. We’d welcome a discussion with you personally, or a warm introduction of someone/a company that you think might be a good fit for our organization. 

If you are interested in talking or able to make an introduction please contact Alyssa O'Driscoll, Sarcoma Alliance Executive Director at aodriscoll@sarcomaalliance.org today. 

"I continue to be active in the Sarcoma Alliance group, as I have met many incredible people there. It has been such a comfort and wealth of real-time information while dealing with something that most of the world has never heard of. I treat each battle as a means to win the war and am thankful every morning that I can still fight with all of my sarcoma comrades." - Amy Topp 

Read Amy Topp's Full Story

Interested in sharing your story with the rest of the Sarcoma Alliance community? Your story would not only help raise awareness for sarcoma, but also help others affected by sarcoma to know that they are not alone! Contact Kalyse Engebretson at intern@sarcomaalliance.org today for more details.