The Josephine Ford Cancer Center in Michigan is a regional referral center for the diagnosis and management of soft-tissue and bone tumors, drawing more than 50 patients per year from southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio.
Cancer Center specialists from several disciplines, including surgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology and pathology, collaborate in the treatment of these patients. Their experience with these relatively rare tumors includes osteosarcomas, chondrosarcomas, Ewing's sarcoma and soft-tissue sarcomas such as fibrosarcomas.
At monthly Tumor Board meetings the team reviews each new case to determine the most appropriate care plan. Treatment planning is founded on expert staging, provided by Cancer Center musculoskeletal pathologists. A specialist in musculoskeletal radiology brings additional expertise to the staging process.
The Josephine Ford Cancer Center in Michigan is among a handful of U.S. centers to offer ultrasound-guided needle biopsy for sarcomas. This technique offers significant advantages over CT in tumor localization, which is critical to accurate staging.
Cancer Center surgeons have determined that neoadjuvant radiation and chemotherapy are effective in limiting local recurrence after resection and routinely offer this therapy to most patients. In July 1998, the National Cancer Care Network recognized neoadjuvant therapy as the standard of care for sarcoma.
Surgical treatment includes the option of limb-salvage tumor resection. This sometimes this requires bone resection followed by allograft, autograft or endoprosthetic reconstruction. Surgery is complemented by a strong physical therapy program for functional and structural rehabilitation.
As a regional referral center for sarcoma, the Josephine Ford Cancer Center is a significant player in the Southwest Oncology Group's musculoskeletal tumor research program. Cancer Center patients are offered the opportunity to participate in clinical trials, primarily of new chemotherapy regimens. Current protocols include several that focus on pediatric sarcomas. Following initial diagnosis and staging performed at Henry Ford Hospital, patients have the choice of several Henry Ford Medical Centers for neoadjuvant therapy.
For the convenience of patients, postoperative physical therapy services are offered at Henry Ford Hospital, Cottage Hospital and through various community providers. Post-operatively, patients have the option of returning to their primary care physician for ongoing care.
