National Cancer Center Opens Sarcoma Center “Providing Optimal Personalized Treatment

The National Cancer Center announced on the 11th that it held an opening ceremony for its new Sarcoma Center on September 9, with the aim of delivering optimal, personalized treatment to patients with sarcoma, one of the representative rare cancers.

Sarcoma is a rare cancer that occurs in both children and adults, requiring multidisciplinary collaboration throughout the diagnosis and treatment process.

Since 2017, medical staff at the National Cancer Center have organized a “Sarcoma Research Group” to conduct both clinical and basic research. In 2018, they launched a multidisciplinary sarcoma care program, providing tailored treatment for patients.

In particular, the center has been laying the foundation for precision medicine for sarcoma patients through:

• Multicenter clinical trials, including Phase I and II trials for recurrent and advanced osteosarcoma, and a Phase II trial of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III soft tissue sarcoma;

• Korea’s first study on skeletal reconstruction using 3D printing;

• Establishment of a multicenter sarcoma resource-sharing platform, leading to the nation’s first development of a sarcoma-specific cancer gene panel and new drug research as part of next-generation biotechnology initiatives.

Building on these achievements, the Sarcoma Center plans to assign approximately 30 sarcoma patients per day to a dedicated team. Specialists from orthopedic oncology (musculoskeletal tumor clinic), hematology-oncology, pediatrics, radiation oncology, pathology, and radiology will collaborate under the Rare Cancer Center. In addition, the sharing of inpatient care staff, on-call physicians, and physician assistants is expected to enhance hospital efficiency.

Yang Han-Kwang, President of the National Cancer Center, stated, “With the launch of the Sarcoma Center, we expect to further invigorate our clinical and translational research in sarcoma and provide the best possible treatment. The Rare Cancer Center, which encompasses the Sarcoma Center, will be elevated to the Rare Cancer Division, allowing the National Cancer Center to fully uphold its public mission.”

Kim Joon-Hyuk, Director of the Rare Cancer Center, added, “In Korea, approximately 2,000 new sarcoma cases are diagnosed each year, and the number is steadily rising. Through integrated treatment and research involving multiple departments within the Sarcoma Center, we will strive to improve treatment outcomes for sarcoma patients and set an exemplary standard in the field of rare cancers.”