Keck Medicine of USC’s expanded USC Sarcoma Program unites experts in oncology, orthopedic surgery and more.
Sarcomas are rare and difficult to treat. Fewer doctors have experience diagnosing and treating these cancers. Multiple studies have shown improved outcomes for patients when treated at sarcoma centers with multidisciplinary teams and high patient volumes.
To address this need for specialized care, Keck Medicine of USC has expanded its USC Sarcoma Program. The USC Sarcoma Program is the home of experts who deliver advanced treatments and individualized care for all types of sarcomas.
J. Dominic Femino, MD
The USC Sarcoma Program brings together specialists of USC Orthopaedic Surgery and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. USC Orthopaedic Surgery, part of Keck Medicine, is one of the most comprehensive orthopedic programs in the United States, offering expertise in diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of a wide array of orthopedic issues. USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine, is one of the original eight Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
“We are excited that Keck Medicine of USC has assembled an outstanding team of experienced sarcoma experts,” says J. Dominic Femino, MD, chief of musculoskeletal oncology in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and with the USC Sarcoma Program. “We have the support and expertise to provide the best and most innovative treatments for our patients.”
“Our team is positioned to provide cutting-edge, innovative therapies to our patients, which will have a profound impact on their disease,” says Mark Agulnik, MD, a medical oncologist with the USC Sarcoma Program.
Mark Agulnik, MD
As part of an academic health system, the USC Sarcoma Program renders the most advanced and innovative treatments available. These specialists are leading research in the sarcoma field, helping pioneer sarcoma treatment. Here, patients have access to innovative clinical trials at the forefront of sarcoma diagnosis and treatment.
USC Sarcoma Program specialists are experts in orthopedic surgery and surgery, radiation and medical oncology, pathology and musculoskeletal radiology, collaborating to deliver the best in multidisciplinary care. Together, the team creates an individualized treatment plan most effective for each patient’s unique sarcoma type, stage and needs.
The USC Sarcoma Program treats all bone and soft tissue sarcomas, including:
- Chondrosarcoma
- Ewing’s sarcoma
- Osteosarcoma
- Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)
- Liposarcoma
- Leiomyosarcoma
- Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor
- Retroperitoneal sarcoma
- Rhabdomyosarcoma
- Synovial sarcoma
- Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma
The USC Sarcoma Program integrates sarcoma treatments including: surgery, radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), cryoablation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and other targeted therapies.
The program’s wide range of treatments includes:
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy
- Clinical trials
- Limb salvage surgery and reconstruction
- Minimally invasive surgery
- Cryoablation
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy
A team of surgeons specializes in the latest techniques to remove tumors and preserve limbs. Unique, minimally invasive surgical interventions are used to not only ablate a lesion but also to support and reconstruct bone defects using a patient’s bone. Specialists apply unique prosthetic devices to reconstruct not only large segments of bone but large segments of bone and joints together. They also perform soft tissue reconstructions using allograft soft tissues.
Last but not least, the USC Sarcoma Program works closely with providers to coordinate patient care, from diagnosis and treatment to recovery, guiding all through the complexities of sarcoma treatment.
USC Sarcoma Program
At the USC Sarcoma Program, best-in-class specialists deliver world-class care and advanced treatments for all types of sarcomas. The program’s sarcoma experts are specialists in orthopedic surgery, surgery, radiation and medical oncology, pathology and musculoskeletal radiology and collaborate to deliver true, multidisciplinary care for optimal outcomes.