Sarcomas and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are uncommon malignancies that pose specific difficulties for oncologists, but recent advances are raising hopes that new approaches to therapy might be possible. "Our knowledge about the cellular and molecular biology of the tumors is increasing tremendously," says ESMO President Hkan Mellstedt, Sweden.
At the two-day ESMO International Symposium (EIS) on Sarcoma and GIST, held 17-18 May in Milan, Italy, experts from around the world will gather to help translate this knowledge into better diagnostic and prognostic procedures for patients, and to discuss potential new targets for treatment.
The latest research suggests that sarcomas may be particularly vulnerable to the kind of 'magic bullet' targeted therapies that are currently in development for cancer.
"These tumors are potentially amenable to new anti-cancer drugs that are currently being developed," says Paolo G. Casali, co-chair of the meeting. "The so-called molecular targeted agents are revolutionizing medical oncology. In principle, sarcoma tumors may be among the most treatable with these agents. This has already been the case, indeed, for a subgroup of sarcomas: gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Now, other adult soft tissue sarcomas might follow in the near future."
This possibility is of key interest for pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis Oncology and Pharma Mar, which are now working on new treatments.
The organizers of the symposium hope to accelerate that process by bringing together biologists, pathologists and clinicians to provide a multidisciplinary overview on treatment. "The new molecular targeted therapies for canc
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Contact: Gracemarie Bricalli
media@esmo.org
European Society for Medical Oncology
11-May-2006