Pediatric Sarcoma Center at the University of Florida

Pediatric Sarcoma comprises 15 percent of all childhood cancer diagnoses. Sarcoma is a form of cancer that can arise from the bone, muscle, fat, joints, nerves, blood vessels or skin. The mission of the UF Pediatric Sarcoma Center is to provide expert, comprehensive, leading-edge care for children and young adults diagnosed with bone or soft tissue sarcoma. Our team-based approach and our break through research give our young patients an important advantage.

About Us

The Pediatric Sarcoma Center at the University of Florida consists of a multidisciplinary team of highly experienced and compassionate professionals who will provide expert management of your child’s cancer. Children and young adults with sarcoma often require a combination of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery for treatment. How doctors choose to use these treatments together influences the success of the treatment.

Our services bring together expert healthcare providers from many fields, including physicians from Pediatric Oncology, Orthopedic Oncology, Medical Oncology, Pediatric Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Musculoskeletal Radiology, Radiation Oncology, Reproductive Fertility and Musculoskeletal Pathology, as well as specialists in nursing, clinical pharmacy, social work, psychology, physical therapy, Child Life Services and nutrition. We meet weekly to discuss many aspects of your child’s health and develop an individualized plan for every patient.

The program collaborates closely with the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, one of nine centers in the country. The Pediatric Sarcoma Center at the University of Florida is uniquely capable of providing world class, forward leaning care for children and young adults with sarcoma.

Patient Care

We work with children and young adults during all stages of illness, from the time of diagnosis, through all phases of treatment and follow-up care. Our care also encompasses patients who may have a tumor return after treatment ,and those whose treatment and tumor affect their daily function or lifestyle. We treat patients diagnosed with both common and rare bone and soft tissue sarcomas.

Research

The incredible improvements in cancer treatments have all come from research. Research holds the key to developing better, more effective and safer treatment options for children. The Pediatric Sarcoma Center at the University of Florida is at the forefront of cancer discoveries, and is dedicated to furthering research to better treat and cure sarcomas. Our center is a member of the Children's Oncology Group (COG), a National Cancer Institute (NCI) supported group and the world’s largest organization devoted to pediatric cancer research. It is also a member of Sarcoma Alliance Research through Collaboration (SARC) global network, a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and support of clinical trial research for the prevention, treatment and cure of sarcomas. We are also part of the Sunshine Project, a consortium of pediatric hospitals in Florida aiming to open Phase I clinical trials in the state using new medicines that are just being developed and tested. This way our patients have access to the latest options under investigation.

Complementing our clinical research, we have a number of individuals from different departments and colleges collaborating to improve treatments for patients with pediatric sarcomas. Joanne Lagmay, M.D., pediatric oncologist, collaborates with members of the Departments of Veterinary Medicine, Radiological Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science and Radiation Oncology, in the development of polymer‐mediated radionuclide therapies in a canine model for targeting osteosarcoma.

Furthermore, the NIH RO1 funded Musculoskeletal Oncology Laboratory headed by orthopedic oncologist Charles Parker Gibbs, M.D., focuses on the molecular differences of the cells within individual patients’ tumors, identifying key cellular pathways responsible for tumor initiation in osteosarcoma and developing novel methods to induce reversal of the malignant character of cells in a patient's tumor. Our center could be the first to develop novel, investigator initiated trials testing discoveries from these two basic research efforts.

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Orthopedic Oncology

The division of Orthopaedic Oncology is dedicated to providing the most effective therapeutic modalities for treating patients with malignant and benign bone and soft tissue sarcomas while probing for the biological origins and progression of musculoskeletal cancer. Malignant bone tumors include osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, metastatic carcinoma, myeloma, and others. The Orthopaedic Oncology Laboratory at the University of Florida was the first to identify putative cancer stem cells in osteosarcoma. In 2008, U.S. News & World Report ranked University of Florida orthopaedic physicians, surgeons and services among the best in the nation

Pediatric Surgery

The University of Florida Division of Pediatric Surgery is the tertiary referral center for all of Florida and the surrounding states. In addition, we are also happy to see international patients. UF pediatric surgeons care for patients at Shands Hospital for Children at UF and the Shands Children's Surgical Center, both located in Gainesville, Florida.

Radiation Oncology

The Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Florida has an exceptionally comprehensive radiation treatment program. The radiation oncologists coordinate patient care with their subspecialty counterparts in Surgical Oncology, Medical and Pediatric Oncology, Pathology and Diagnostic Radiology. We provide state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, and services, including social work support, physical therapy, speech therapy and nutrition counseling.

UF Health Proton Therapy Institute

The UF Health Proton Therapy Institute is the first treatment center in the Southeast U.S. to offer proton therapy. Florida residents, as well as patients from the region, the country and the world, have access to a new cancer treatment option delivered in a supportive, healing environment.

College of Veterinary Medicine

The Small Animal Hospital offers medical and surgical care for dogs, cats, birds and exotic pets. Sophisticated diagnostic imaging capabilities, modern surgical suites, an intensive care unit and a spectrum of cutting edge technologies assist our clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of difficult and complex diseases in your pet. Our veterinarians are among the best in the world, and most importantly, they hold your pet’s well-being as their top priority.

Streetlight

It’s a tough place—that gap between being a kid and being an adult. You are trying to figure out who you are, why you are here, and what you will be. Sounds pretty complicated, right? Okay, now throw in a serious medical condition and try to make sense of your life. Everything starts to look a little different. Tests, football games, jobs, social plans, everything gets disrupted when your health starts acting up. When hospital stays get in the way of your life, Streetlight is there.