Cromos Pharma highlights Sarcoma Awareness Month

This July, Cromos Pharma is highlighting Sarcoma Awareness Month.

What are sarcomas?

Sarcomas are rare malignant (cancer) tumors that start in the bones and soft tissues. The most common type of sarcoma is soft tissue sarcoma. Four out of five sarcomas occur in soft issues. Over half of these are found in the leg but sarcomas can occur in any part of the body.

Sarcoma incidence in US and EU

According to the National Cancer Institute, about 12,000 new cases of soft tissue sarcoma and 3,000 bone sarcomas are diagnosed annually in the US[i]. It is estimated that approximately 28,000 new cases of sarcoma are diagnosed per year in the EU, of which 84% are soft tissue sarcomas and 14% are bone sarcomas[ii].

Bone sarcomas occur more frequently in children while soft tissue ones are more commonly found in the adult population. Sarcoma’s represent 10 -12% of all cancers in children and teens[iii].

Symptoms

Soft tissue sarcomas may present as a lump often as big as a golf ball deep in the body tissues, under the skin. Bone sarcomas are characterized by pain around the bone and/or a lump growing in size. Symptoms of sarcomas vary a lot from person to person but it is important that you get any unusual lumps checked out by your doctor.

Treatment

As with all cancers, the earlier a sarcoma is identified and diagnosed the greater the chances of successful treatment will be. Treatment for sarcomas usually involves surgery combined with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Because sarcomas are so diverse there is no “one size fits all” treatment.  

Advances in sarcoma treatment

Recent advances in sarcoma treatment involve an individualized approach. Checkpoint inhibitors have shown promise in treating aggressive sarcomas. Current clinical research is also focusing on immunotherapies for the treatment of “cold” sarcomas. Targeted therapies are also proving to be successful in clinical trials including a recent one at Sloan Kettering in the US evaluating the effectiveness of the drug ivosidenib in treating IDH1-mutant chondrosarcoma, a type of bone cancer[1]. 

Cromos Pharma supporting sarcoma clinical trials

Sarcomas are defined as rare cancers with many subtypes being highly complex. This poses challenges for clinical research in terms of patient recruitment and study design. Cromos Pharma has over a decade of experience in managing clinical trials for sarcoma involving novel and complex study design.  

Contact bd@cromospharma.com to discuss how we can support your next clinical project.

About Cromos Pharma

Cromos Pharma is a US-based, international contract research organization delivering fully integrated clinical research solutions, in all trial phases, across a wide range  of therapeutic indications. Our expert team, comprised of 95% MDs, has extensive expertise in study design, medical writing, regulatory affairs, site management, patient recruitment and data management.

Cromos Pharma has experience in delivering success in a wide range of trial types, from biosimilars and generics, to successfully managing trials of novel therapeutics in a wide range of clinical indications. Our team provides full-service solutions to international pharma and biotech companies in high-recruiting regions, assuring exceptional data quality. Cromos Pharma combines global expertise with in-depth experience and knowledge in the US, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Republic of Georgia, and Turkey to offer exceptional patient recruitment. Our team has met or reduced enrollment timelines in 95% of conducted trials. 

We provide accelerated study  start-up timelines in our regions of operation. Regulatory inspections by FDA and EMA and site audits attest to the highest quality of our clinical data.

Established in 2004, Cromos Pharma has strong regional experience that is supported by a global network of offices. Its international HQ is located in Portland, Oregon, USA and its European HQ is in Dublin, Ireland.

If you have any questions or want to find out more about how Cromos Pharma can support your next clinical program please get in touch with us by emailing inquiry@cromospharma.com.

 Sources:

[i] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/sarcoma

[ii] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959804912007253

[iii] https://www.sarcoma-patients.eu/en/sarcoma-infographics