UC Davis Cancer Center is a regional referral center for the treatment of bone and soft-tissue sarcomas — cancers that affect bone, muscle, cartilage, blood vessels and other connective tissues in the body. Our physicians have extensive expertise in the treatment of these uncommon cancers in children and adults alike, and routinely handle the most difficult cases from throughout inland Northern California, Western Nevada and Southern Oregon.

The treatment of bone and soft-tissue sarcoma at UC Davis Cancer Center includes the care of specialists in surgical oncology, radiation oncology, pediatric and adult medical oncology, pathology, radiology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, vascular surgery and orthopaedic oncology. The treatment team also includes nurses with advanced training in oncology, social workers, registered dietitians and clinical research associates.

These experts all work together to develop an individualized treatment plan for each patient. Our physicians have two goals: to cure the cancer and to give patients the best chance of returning to their normal activities as fully and quickly as possible.

Bone and soft-tissue sarcomas are typically treated with some combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Although the exact approach varies depending on the specific type of cancer, a combined approach usually offers the best chance to treat the disease successfully.

Radiation therapy for bone and soft-tissue sarcomas at UC Davis Cancer Center may take one of two forms: interstitial brachytherapy or external beam radiation therapy. Interstitial brachytherapy involves directly implanting tiny radioactive "seeds" in the tumor bed in the operating room. External beam radiation therapy at UC Davis Cancer Center is highly image-guided. Depending on the type of tumor, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) or three-dimensional conformal therapy (3DCRT) may be used. These techniques allow high doses of radiation to be delivered to the tumor while minimizing the dose to surrounding normal tissues.

Chemotherapy involves the administration of medications that are designed to "kill" cancer cells, both in the original tumor as well as any that may be circulating in microscopic amounts through the bloodstream. Chemotherapy may be given before surgery or radiation to shrink the size of the original tumor and after surgery or radiation to kill any small amounts of cancer that may remain.

UC Davis Cancer Center is home to one of the largest clinical trials programs in the nation, offering studies originated by Cancer Center physicians as well as studies offered through major clinical trials organizations such as the Southwest Oncology Group and the Children's Oncology Group. These studies can offer our bone and soft-tissue sarcoma patients access to new drugs and therapies that are frequently unavailable elsewhere.

Close collaboration between our doctors and our research scientists means that new treatments developed in the laboratory can move quickly to the clinic, immediately benefiting our patients.

Surgical Oncology

Vijay Khatri, M.D.
Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology

Robert Canter, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery

Hematology and Oncology

Scott Christensen, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology

Orthopaedic Oncology

Robert M. Tamurian, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

Pediatric Hematology and Oncology

Jonathan M. Ducore, M.D., M.P.H.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Hematology and Oncology
Co-Director, Hemophilia Treatment Center

Daniel C. West, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Theodore Zwerdling, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Douglas Taylor, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Hematology and Oncology
Director, Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

To make an appointment, please call (916) 703-5210 or (800) 362-5566.

Updated 3/2009