Sarcomas, cancerous tumors found in soft tissue or bone, are rare in children and need proper management and attention by trained specialists for effective treatment/recovery. The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center provide this attention with the utmost care through the Pediatric Connective Tissue Oncology Program. Headed by Jim Williams, M.D., and Dennis Hughes, M.D., Ph.D., the program strives to make life with sarcoma better for affected kids.

The most important objective of the Pediatric Connective Tissue Oncology Program, according to Hughes, is “to deliver the highest quality care to children diagnosed with sarcoma.” The program collaborates with providers from varying disciplines such as Radiation Oncology and Orthopedics. In addition, they meet weekly with adult sarcoma physicians to discuss pediatric and adult cases in an effort to find new treatment methods.

The program puts strong emphasis on developing good clinical applications and treatment protocols. Hughes and Williams are currently developing a new protocol for synovial cell sarcoma (a rare soft tissue tumor in the vicinity of a joint) treatment that cycles between intense chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. The protocol was first implemented in summer 2003, and there have been two successful cases where tumors have been completely removed using this protocol.

The Pediatric Connective Tissue Oncology Program also focuses on scientific research on sarcomas as well as “translation research,” translating outcomes from lab studies into the clinical trial setting.

Through practical applications from research to patient care, the Pediatric Connective Tissue Oncology Program is able to make life better for kids and families living with sarcoma. Erica Bowerman, 13, was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma in September 2003. Her mother, Enid, speaks highly of the program: “I don’t know if we’ve ever been to physicians and staff who have treated us as well as those in this program. The level of care here is amazing.”