RM Magazine - autumn 2012 - The Royal Marsden

Hospital news
Tumour breakthrough
sarcoma discovery
for research team
A
new type of sarcoma
has been discovered
by a team at The
Royal marsden including
Dr Khin Thway, Consultant
Histopathologist to the Sarcoma
Unit, the Paediatrics Unit and
the Head and neck Unit.
in addition to sharing a busy
diagnostic service, Dr Thway,
alongside Professor Cyril Fisher,
has been carrying out research
into the changes in individual
tumour cells that underpin the
development of different types
of soft-tissue sarcoma.
Dr Thway and colleagues
discovered and characterised
a new type of sarcoma arising
in the lung that can be
diagnosed by detection of a
specific cellular abnormality.
This is a rearrangement of
genetic material within the cell,
which leads to the formation of
new genes that cause cells to
grow and multiply abnormally.
The same genetic
rearrangement is found in a
number of other tumour types
in different parts of the body.
These tumours, however, differ
from each other in clinical
The ultimate goal
is to be able to
deliver personalised
therapy for each
individual patient
Dr Khin Thway, ConsulTanT hisTopaThologisT
features, microscopic
appearances and potential to
recur or spread to other organs.
The challenge for the team
is to identify the additional
changes in the malignant cells
that determine the development
of specific tumour types. The
aim is to identify changes at the
cellular level that are susceptible
to targeted treatment.
Dr Thway said: “in
collaboration with The institute
of Cancer Research, we hope
to investigate the further
changes that lead to the
formation of the different
tumour types, using the latest
techniques including genetic
sequencing. The ultimate
goal is to be able to deliver
personalised therapy for
each individual patient.”
dr Khin thway (above), consultant
histopathologist at the royal marsden,
worked with Professor cyril fisher
(below) on this groundbreaking
research into soft-tissue sarcomas
Soft-tissue
sarcomas
1%
of all cancers
are soft-tissue
sarcomas, making
these malignant
tumours very rare
3,000
people a year
are diagnosed
with soft-tissue
sarcomas in the uK
30+
the age at
which soft-tissue
sarcomas are
more likely
to occur
08 RM magazine