Taking a team approach to sarcoma care at Ohio State

The Ohio State University has been home to a lot of great teams over the years, but none have made more of an impact than its groundbreaking group of sarcoma specialists.

Sarcomas are grouped into two categories — those that affect the bones, which are more likely to affect younger patients, and soft-tissue types that usually occur in people 50 or older.

Because of the wide variety of possible presentations, it’s important for sarcoma patients to have access to comprehensive care teams like the unit headed up by Joel Mayerson, MD, at the OSUCCC – James.

“Treating sarcoma is a team sport,” Mayerson says. “We use tri-modality care — medical oncologists for chemotherapy, radiation oncologists for soft-tissue sarcomas and surgeons.”

Join Mayerson for a deep dive into Ohio State’s renowned sarcoma program on our Cancer-Free World Podcast. Watch on the video player above, or listen on SoundCloud.

That team approach has helped Mayerson build one of the largest and most innovative sarcoma programs in the nation since his arrival at Ohio State in 2001.

“When I first started here, me, myself and I were the three team members,” Mayerson says. “Today, we have orthopedic, surgical and medical oncologists, as well as plastic surgeons, radiologists and pathologists.”

Since Mayerson’s arrival, Ohio State’s sarcoma program has been among the country’s most innovative medical teams, including the plastic surgeons, who’s work has become an integral part of treatment for patients after the removal of large, cancerous masses.

“Plastic surgeons take muscles from other places [in the patient’s body] and fill these spaces, and can even return function by reconnecting the nerves,” Mayerson says.

Click here to learn more about sarcoma, including risks, symptoms and treatment options at The Ohio State University.

“Mayerson and his colleagues are also pioneers in targeted muscle reinnervation, a microsurgical technique that reconnects nerves severed during amputations.

“Now, the nerves have something to fire into rather than empty space,” Mayerson said. “This helps reduce pain after surgery and also reduces phantom-limb pain.”

The team provides more post-amputation treatment by inserting metal stems into residual limbs. “Patients can snap their artificial limbs on and off instead of putting them into sockets,” Mayerson says. “Patients say this makes it feel more like their normal leg.”

Mayerson has spent his career treating sarcoma and advocating for patients who experience the relatively rare form of cancer, many of whom join him each year at Columbus’ Steps for Sarcoma walk, an annual event that’s raised more than $1 million for research.

“It's just grown and grown,” Mayerson says. “We're able to give more and more research grants to our young doctors to hopefully get new advances and bring better sarcoma care to people here in central Ohio and the rest of the world.”

Click here to learn more about the annual Steps for Sarcoma event.