Treatment program for soft- and bone tissue tumours
by Kirsten Sundby Hall, M.D., Ph.D., senior consultant and Head of the program,
Organisation
A multidisciplinary team consisting of specialists in radiology, imaging, pathology, genetics, chemotherapy and surgery are taking care of these patients. Research and developmental work are an integrated part of the sarcoma program.
Sarcoma patients are treated at four central hospitals in Norway. The Norwegian radium hospital is treating most of the sarcoma patients and function as National Center of Competence.
Five of the senior doctors have a PhD, one of them is university employee as professor I and is working half time with sarcoma patients (Øyvind Bruland).
One doctor is the administrative head of the program. One doctor has had the responsibility for coordinating research projects (Sigbjørn Smeland).
Organisation
A multidisciplinary team consisting of specialists in radiology, imaging, pathology, genetics, chemotherapy and surgery are taking care of these patients. Research and developmental work are an integrated part of the sarcoma program.
Sarcoma patients are treated at four central hospitals in Norway. The Norwegian radium hospital is treating most of the sarcoma patients and function as National Center of Competence.
Five of the senior doctors have a PhD, one of them is university employee as professor I and is working half time with sarcoma patients (Øyvind Bruland).
One doctor is the administrative head of the program. One doctor has had the responsibility for coordinating research projects (Sigbjørn Smeland).
Description of the research activities and collaboration
The data of all patients are registered in a database in which about 5000 patients have been entered since 1980. Complete registration of diagnosis, treatment and follow-up gives an unic possibility for clinical research.
There are ongoing studies on diagnostics, treatment and follow-up.
The rarity of sarcomas (only about 200 sarcoma patients are treated annually in Norway) requires collaboration of treatment and research with international groups. Almost all Norwegian sarcoma patients are included in treatment protocols which are run in international cooperative studies. The doctors in the sarcoma group at our hospital have for many years had central posisions in this international study network. Associate professor Gunnar Sæter was Sectretary and Scientific Coordinator in the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group (SSG) from 1993 to 2000, before becoming Head of Medical Oncology at our institution. He still contributes the sarcoma group with invaluable knowledge. Sigbjørn Smeland MD, PhD, now chief of staff still has an important posisition in SSG and also in Eurpean Musculo Skeletal Oncology Society (EMSOS), an organization consisting of sarcoma experts. The current head of the sarcoma program (Kirsten Sundby Hall) is also the current secretary of the SSG.
Formal co-operation with centres in Scandinavia (The Scandinavian Sarcoma group) and Italy (Italian Sarcoma Group) has existed for many years. Recently co-operation on bone sarcomas has been established with COSS (The Cooperative Osteosarcoma Study Group, consisting of centres in Germany, Austria, Switzerland) , COG ( The North American Childrens Oncology Group) and EOI (European Osteosarcoma Intergroup). Sigbjørn Smeland is member of the working group planning a new world-wide bone sarcoma protocol. Collaboration with EORTC Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group exists on soft tissue sarcomas.
Within the hospital close co-operation on research activities exists with many departments (click to read)
Leadership of the research
One of the senior consultants has the leadership of Research and development in the sarcoma group.
Strenghts of the research program
- Long tradition for research
- A clinical data base in which all sarcoma patients are registered
- Established international and national collaboration
- Proximity to the research institute at the hospital which facilitates translational research
- A well functioning multidisiplinary group