Key takeaways: • The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) will be awarded funding to study whether adding chemotherapy before standard treatment with immunotherapy, radiation and surgery for certain sarcomas will reduce the risk of the cancer returning. • David Liebner, MD, and a team at the OSUCCC – James will lead the study. • The funding will be awarded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) has been approved for research funding by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study whether adding chemotherapy before standard treatment with immunotherapy, radiation and surgery for certain sarcomas will reduce the risk of the cancer returning. Led by David Liebner, MD, a medical oncologist specializing in sarcoma at the OSUCCC – James, the total funding award is for $6 million over five years. This study was selected through PCORI’s highly competitive review process in which patients and other stakeholders join scientists to evaluate proposals. The funding award to Ohio State has been approved pending completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI and issuance of a formal award contract. “Patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research puts the spotlight on outcomes that matter most to people and provides families and individuals with evidence to make informed healthcare decisions,” said Nakela L. Cook, MD, MPH, executive director of PCORI. “By addressing a key evidence gap in sarcoma care, this study has the potential to improve patient outcomes and relevance of care. We look forward to following its progress.”  About the study at the OSUCCC – James Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) and pleomorphic or dedifferentiated liposarcoma (LPS) are rare but aggressive cancers that typically affect the arms, legs or trunk.  “While treatments like immunotherapy, radiation and surgery are now widely accepted for these cancers, there is still uncertainty about whether adding chemotherapy before these treatments helps patients live longer without the cancer returning,” said Liebner, also an associate professor at Ohio State College of Medicine. Previous studies suggest that high-risk patients—those with large, aggressive tumors—may benefit from chemotherapy before other treatments, potentially cutting their risk of recurrence by nearly half. However, these studies were not large or specific enough to offer a clear answer, and the strong side effects of chemotherapy make this a challenging decision for both doctors and patients. Current guidelines don’t take a firm stance either way. To address this, Liebner and a team at Ohio State will launch a clinical trial to evaluate whether giving chemotherapy before standard treatment with immunotherapy, radiation and surgery improves outcomes in high-risk patients. The trial will enroll adults with UPS or LPS and randomly assign them to either receive chemotherapy before standard care or skip the chemotherapy and proceed directly to standard care. All participants will still receive immunotherapy, radiation and surgery. “We aim to find out if patients who receive chemotherapy first are less likely to have their cancer return within two years,” said Liebner. “We will also track quality of life and side effects to make sure we’re not sacrificing well-being for better cancer control. This research could help set a new standard for how best to treat these high-risk cancers and improve both survival and quality of life.” PCORI is a nonprofit organization with a mission to fund research designed to provide patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions. Media Contact: Mary Ellen Fiorino, Mary.Fiorino@osumc.edu