Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare cancers that account for less than 1% of all cancer cases, with fragmented treatment opportunities and an equal level of expertise available in the international healthcare community today. New treatment openings further suggest the need to develop a broader and up-to-date understanding of this disease and the optimal approach to treating STS patients.

This medical education programme on STS addresses the complexity of the diagnosis, biology and management of these tumours as well as the importance of an expert multi-disciplinary assessment in order to get the best results for patients. By also examining STS regionally, the programme confirms that the challenges of treating patients with these rare tumours are global challenges related to the rarity and complexity of the disease, as well as the organisation of the healthcare system.

This programme has been prepared by a committee of internationally renowned experts under the chairmanship of a leading oncologist and researcher in the field. The contents of the programme are divided into nine lectures and four clinical case studies. Participants can play each presentation by viewing the slides and listening to an audio recording of the faculty member delivering the lecture. The programme is completed with an evaluation questionnaire and a multiple-choice test that will allow participants to obtain theirCME certificate.

The nine core faculty members and their presentations are as follows:

• Jean-Yves Blay, Chair (France): Organisation, patient outcomes, research

• Piotr Rutkowski (Poland): Surgery of soft tissue sarcomas

• Angelo Dei Tos (Italy): Pathology of sarcomas

• Rick Haas (Netherlands): The role of radiotherapy in STS

• Daniel Vanel (Italy): Imaging soft tissue sarcomas

• Akira Kawai (Japan): STS: an Asian perspective

• Alexander Fedenko (Russia): STS: an Eastern European perspective

• Zsuzsanna Pápai (Hungary): STS: a Central European perspective

• Nouri Bennini (UAE): STS: a Middle Eastern perspective

Case studies:

• Case study from UAE (Nouri Bennini, UAE

• Case study from Russia (Alexander Fedenko, Russia)

• Case study from Japan (Akira Kawai, Japan)

• Case study from Hungary (Zsuzsanna Pápai, Hungary)