Sarcoma Treatment Options: What Makes Sheba a Wise Choice?
Sarcoma Treatment Options: What Makes Sheba a Wise Choice?
Sarcoma is the collective term for a broad range of cancers that develop in the bones and soft tissues that connect, support, and surround other body structures.
The tissues typically affected by the disease include bones, cartilage, tendons, muscles, fibrous tissues, nerves, fatty tissues, arteries, veins, and skin. There are more than 70 types of sarcomas that comprise about 1% of all malignant diseases, and range from slowly developing to aggressive and rapidly growing.
Different types of sarcomas are usually categorized according to where the cancer forms. In general, bone sarcomas are more common among children, while soft tissue sarcomas, typically found in the arms, legs, chest, or abdomen, are more prevalent in adults.
Sarcoma cases are categorized by stages on a scale of I through IV. The stage is determined by the tumor’s size and how far cancer has spread, while sarcoma treatment options vary depending on the malignancy’s stage, location, and other factors.
Sarcoma Treatment Options
Sarcoma Immunotherapy
By encouraging the patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells, immunotherapy provides effective treatment while minimizing side effects. Immunotherapy takes several forms, including injectable vaccines, biological drugs, and cell transfers.
At Sheba, we offer several immunotherapies for sarcoma, one of which is MEPACT, which stimulates the immune system to destroy cancer cells by promoting the production of certain white blood cells called monocytes and macrophages.
Sarcoma Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapies are drugs that interfere with the way that cancer cells grow. They can include cancer growth inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies. They are particularly useful when regular chemotherapy has not been effective, and many research studies are now exploring their application as a treatment for primary bone cancers.
At Sheba, we offer cutting-edge sarcoma-targeted therapies, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as imatinib, used as a first-line treatment for people with gastrointestinal stromal tumors. The treatment is usually chosen when cancer cannot be completely removed with surgery or has spread prior to surgery.
Pazopanib is another TKI provided at Sheba, which may be used to treat advanced metastatic soft tissue sarcoma.
Antiangiogenesis
Another breakthrough targeted treatment offered at Sheba, antiangiogenesis, inhibits the development of blood vessels that feed metastases. This safe and efficient drug cocktail is administered orally at home, and according to studies, in 46% of patients treated with antiangiogenesis, around a third of the metastases stopped growing. Even more significantly, 15% of the patients showed a substantial reduction in the size of metastases.
Robotic Surgery
Surgery often constitutes the first line of stage IV sarcoma treatment. However, inadequate surgical excision is a common problem. At Sheba, we provide robotic or robot-assisted surgery, which allows doctors to perform complex, minimally invasive surgical procedures with precision and accuracy through the use of robotic arms. These arms are controlled by the surgeon through a dedicated console.
Widely accepted as one of the most advanced surgical systems available, the new da Vinci Xi represents the 4th generation of robotic surgical technology, taking surgical treatment to an entirely new level.
Greatly contributing to the precise detection and removal of tumors, advanced surgical robotic systems, such as the da Vinci Xi offer many sarcoma patients new hope for a full, healthy life. At Sheba, we are proud to stand at the forefront of surgical innovation and operate many advanced robotic systems, including the da Vinci Xi.
Sheba’s Sarcoma Specialists
Sheba clinicians include some of the world’s leading experts in the field:
Dr. Rony Weitzen, Director of the Department of Sarcoma and Bone Tumors.
Dr. Weitzen specializes in clinical oncology, radiotherapy, bone tumors, and sarcomas. With immunotherapy fellowships in Germany and the United States under his belt, Dr. Weitzen also serves as an oncology lecturer at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine.
Dr. Boaz Liberman, Director of the Orthopedic Oncology Unit
An expert in orthopedic oncology, sarcomas, and joint replacement, Dr. Liberman completed adult reconstruction surgery and orthopedic oncologic surgery fellowships at Mount Sinai Hospital, and specializes in magnetic resonance-guided ultrasound surgery, sarcoma cell lines, revision arthroplasty, bone metastasis reconstruction, and serum markers in bone sarcoma.
Read MoreChoosing Sheba for Sarcoma Treatment
Nowadays, cancer patients have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to medical care, and it is vital to make an informed decision. Sheba Medical Center, ranked by Newsweek among the world’s top 10 hospitals for the past four years, is an international leader in medical innovation, particularly in the field of cancer care: collaborating with medical centers around the globe to develop groundbreaking techniques and life-saving treatments.
The largest medical center in Israel, serving more than 100,000 patients a year, Sheba is home to the most advanced cancer care, with a multidisciplinary team that offers cutting-edge, personalized sarcoma treatment options.
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