Sarcomas and Bone Tumors treatment in Israel
At Sheba Medical Center in Israel, we provide several treatment modalities for sarcomas and bone tumors. Our team of highly qualified and skilled doctors invites patients of all ages and at any stage of the disease to benefit from our advanced and compassionate care. We offer the most promising and innovative therapies, including the latest, leading-edge treatments.
Sarcomas are a rare form of cancer that typically affects connective tissues, including bones, cartilage, tendons, muscles, fibrous tissues, nerves, fatty tissues, arteries, veins, and skin. They comprise about 1% of the total amount of malignant diseases. Sarcomas range from slowly developing to aggressive and rapidly growing forms of cancer. Our treatments are at the forefront of medical research, and we provide breakthrough therapies for all types of sarcoma. Our Department of Sarcomas and Bone Tumors also treats metastases in the bones and spine, as well as other orthopedic oncology and pathology.
We are committed to giving you progressive care, along with a smooth and efficient experience. We offer convenient and comfortable accommodations for you and your family, and a personal coordinator will be assigned to assist you with organizing all arrangements.
Risk Factors for Sarcoma
Sarcoma afflicts patients of all ages, although certain types are associated with particular age groups. Statistically, males are more likely to develop sarcoma than females. The risk factors include specific genetic diseases and syndromes, a damaged lymph system, and overexposure to radiation.
Types of Sarcoma
Sarcomas are classified into two main types: soft tissue sarcomas and bone cancers. Within these categories, there are over 70 subtypes of sarcoma, which are all named based on the affected area or surrounding tissue.
Soft Tissue Sarcoma:
These types of the cancer make up about 80% of all sarcomas. They develop from soft tissues, such as fat, muscles, blood vessels, fibrous tissues, nerves, or deep skin tissues. The most common types include:
- Gastrointestinal stromal tumors – of the gastrointestinal tract
- Leiomyosarcoma – in the smooth muscle of abdominal and pelvic organs and blood vessels
- Liposarcoma – develops from fatty tissue, typically at the back of the abdominal cavity or in soft tissues of the limbs
- Pleomorphic sarcoma – usually occurs in the limbs (often the legs)
Bone Cancer:
Also called osseous sarcomas, bone cancers begin in the bone and are relatively rare. The most common type is osteosarcoma, which develops from the cells that compose bone.
Another common type of bone cancer is the Ewing sarcoma or Ewing’s sarcoma. Ewing sarcoma is one of the most aggressive types of tumor. Usually it affects the tubular bones and quickly metastases to the lungs, bones and bone marrow.
Stages of Sarcoma
Following your diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma, our doctors will stage the cancer. This means they will try to determine if it has spread, and how far. The stages of soft tissue sarcomas range from Stage I through IV. In general, the lower the number, the less the cancer has spread.
Staging depends upon the size and location of the tumor or tumors, whether the cancer is found in nearby lymph nodes, whether the cancer is found in distant tissues or organs, and the tumor grade (how abnormal the cancer cells appear in the biopsy). Precise staging of your cancer enables us to figure out how serious the sarcoma is in order to design the most effective treatment plan.
We treat every patient as an individual, and our doctors will customize your cancer therapies to address your specific stage and condition.
Symptoms of Sarcoma
Sarcoma symptoms can be highly individual. Typically, the symptoms are related to the type and location of the tumor, as well as to how far it has spread.
Soft tissue sarcoma:
- You may be able to feel or see a firm mass, which can be painless or painful
- When the tumor is in and around your joints, it may cause tenderness and swelling
- An abdominal tumor can cause pain, vomiting, or blood in your stools
Bone cancer:
- Pain in a bone, which may be intermittent until the tumor grows larger
- Fractures, due to weakened bones
- Swelling
Special Treatments for Sarcoma & Bone Tumors
Within our Department of Sarcomas and Bone Tumors, we are actively involved in exciting clinical studies that treat sarcoma at the metastasis stage. We offer a breakthrough treatment method called antiangiogenesis, which inhibits the development of blood vessels that feed metastases. This safe and efficient drug cocktail is administered orally at home. Our research trials demonstrated that in 46% of the patients who took this drug, the enlargement of 31% of the patients’ metastases was stopped. Even more significantly, 15% of the patients showed a substantial reduction in the size of metastases.
Meet Our Director of Department– Dr. Rony Weitzen
Dr. Rony Weitzen, MD
Director, Department of Sarcoma and Bone Tumors
Dr. Weitzen specializes in clinical oncology and radiotherapy, bone tumors, and sarcomas. After completing his medical studies in Italy, he was an oncology intern in the Cancer Center in Sheba Medical Center. Previously, he served as Head of the Day Care Unit at the Oncology Department at Sheba. Dr. Weitzen finished internships in immunotherapy in Germany and in the United States. He also works as a lecturer in oncology at the Sackler School of Medicine, at Tel Aviv University.
Members of Our Team
Dr. Boaz Liberman, MD
Director, Orthopedic Oncology Unit
Dr. Liberman is an expert in Orthopedic Oncology, Sarcoma, and Joint Replacement. He graduated from the Sackler School of Medicine, at Tel Aviv University. He completed his residency in Orthopedic Surgery at Sheba Medical Center. Afterward, Dr. Liberman attended a fellowship in Adult Reconstruction Surgery and in Orthopedic Oncology Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital, Canada. He specializes in Magnetic Resonance-guided Ultrasound Surgery, sarcoma cell lines, Revision Arthroplasty, Bone Metastasis Reconstruction, and serum markers in bone sarcoma.
Integrative Treatment for Sarcoma and Bone Tumors
At Sheba Medical Center, we use a multidisciplinary approach to treating sarcoma and bone tumors. Our departments work together to provide you with comprehensive care for sarcoma. Experts from numerous specialties – orthopedic, surgery, oncology, pathology, and radiology – collaborate to decide upon the best personalized treatment for your cancer. We also provide palliative care, specializing in pain control.
