The Sarcoma-Specific Instrument to Longitudinally Assess Health-Related Outcomes of the Routine Care Cycle

Beyond the sarcoma center: establishing the Sarcoma HASM network-a Hub and Spoke Model network for global integrated and precision care

The landscape of sarcoma treatment has evolved significantly, transitioning from amputations to limb-sparing surgeries, underpinned by advancements in multidisciplinary strategies. The establishment of specialized sarcoma centers has been pivotal, though challenges in accessibility and expertise persist. This manuscript proposes the Sarcoma Hub and Spoke Model (HASM) network to address these issues, enhancing coordination and expanding access to specialized care. The HASM network centralizes complex case management at hubs while peripheral spokes manage routine diagnostics and treatments, optimizing resource use and ensuring patient-centered care. Integration with digital interoperable platforms facilitates real-time/real-world data exchange, supports multidisciplinary team meetings, and enables advanced predictive analytics such as Sarcoma Digital Twins and causal machine learning for personalized treatment. The Sarcoma Care Data Warehouse further enhances this model by aggregating comprehensive patient data, supporting quality assessment and continuous improvement. This innovative approach aims to set a new standard for sarcoma care, leveraging technology and collaborative expertise to improve outcomes globally.

Enhancing Patient Experience in Sarcoma Core Biopsies: The Role of Communication, Anxiety Management, and Pain Control

Background/Objectives: This study evaluates the effectiveness of communication strategies and pain management protocols to enhance patients' experiences during sarcoma core biopsies. Recognizing the complexity and anxiety associated with sarcoma diagnoses, this research aims to assess the utility of the Invasive Procedure Assessment (IPA) tool, focusing on its ability to identify areas for improvement through Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs). Methods: Conducted at two Integrated Practice Units (IPUs) within the Swiss Sarcoma Network, this study involved 282 consecutive patients who underwent core biopsies. One week post-procedure, patients completed the IPA questionnaire, which included PROMs and PREMs. Statistical analyses explored correlations between physician communication, patient understanding, anxiety, pain, and overall satisfaction. Results: The IPA tool effectively captured patient perspectives on sarcoma core biopsies. A significant positive correlation (rho = 0.619, p < 0.0001) was found between effective physician communication and patient understanding, which was associated with reduced anxiety and pain. Higher anxiety levels strongly correlated with increased pain perception (rho = 0.653, p < 0.0001), emphasizing the need for anxiety management. Patients with malignant tumors reported lower overall satisfaction compared to those with benign tumors (p = 0.0003), highlighting the need for tailored communication and pain management strategies. The data also suggested that clear communication might mitigate overly negative subjective impressions, such as concerns about wound complications. Conclusions: Effective communication and anxiety management are essential for improving patient satisfaction during sarcoma core biopsies. The study emphasizes the need for personalized care strategies tailored to tumor characteristics and patient demographics. Future research should validate these findings in diverse healthcare settings and explore the broader application of the IPA tool across different cultural and demographic contexts.

Transdisciplinary sarcoma care: a model for sustainable healthcare transformation

No abstract available.

Benchmarking Time-to-Treatment Initiation in Sarcoma Care Using Real-World-Time Data

Benchmarking is a fundamental tool for enhancing quality within a patient-centered healthcare framework. This study presents an analysis of time-to-treatment initiation (TTI) for sarcoma patients, utilizing a database encompassing 266 cases from the Swiss Sarcoma Network. Our findings indicate a median TTI of 30 days across the cohort, with bone sarcomas and deep soft tissue sarcomas demonstrating a shorter median TTI of 28 days, followed by superficial soft tissue sarcomas at 42 days. The data reveal that the use of real-world-time data (RWTD) may account for a longer TTI observed, as it offers more comprehensive capture of patient journeys, unlike conventional datasets. Notably, variability in TTI was observed between different treatment institutions, which underscores the need for standardized processes across centers. We advocate for a selective referral system to specialized centers to prevent capacity overload and ensure timely treatment initiation. Our analysis also identified significant delays in TTI for unplanned 'whoops'-resections, highlighting the importance of early specialist referral in optimizing treatment timelines. This study emphasizes the potential benefits of a streamlined, data-informed approach to sarcoma care. However, further research is required to establish the direct impact of integrated care models on TTI and patient outcomes in the context of sarcoma treatment.

The Next Frontier in Sarcoma Care: Digital Health, AI, and the Quest for Precision Medicine

The landscape of sarcoma care is on the cusp of a transformative era, spurred by the convergence of digital health and artificial intelligence (AI). This perspectives article explores the multifaceted opportunities and challenges in leveraging these technologies for value-based, precision sarcoma care. We delineate the current state-of-the-art methodologies and technologies in sarcoma care and outline their practical implications for healthcare providers, administrators, and policymakers. The article also addresses the limitations of AI and digital health platforms, emphasizing the need for high-quality data and ethical considerations. We delineate the promise held by the synergy of digital health platforms and AI algorithms in enhancing data-driven decision-making, outcome analytics, and personalized treatment planning. The concept of a sarcoma digital twin serves as an illustrative paradigm for this integration, offering a comprehensive, patient-centric view of the healthcare journey. The paper concludes with proposals for future research aimed at advancing the field, including the need for randomized controlled trials or target trial emulations and studies focusing on ethical and economic aspects. While the road to this transformative care is laden with ethical, regulatory, and practical challenges, we believe that the potential benefits far outweigh the obstacles. We conclude with a call to action for multidisciplinary collaboration and systemic adoption of these technologies, underscoring the urgency to act now for the future betterment of sarcoma care and healthcare at large.

Unlocking the Power of Benchmarking: Real-World-Time Data Analysis for Enhanced Sarcoma Patient Outcomes

Benchmarking is crucial for healthcare providers to enhance quality and efficiency, notably for complex conditions like sarcomas. Multidisciplinary teams/sarcoma boards (MDT/SBs) are vital in sarcoma management, but differences in their processes can affect patient outcomes and treatment costs, despite adherence to international guidelines. To address this issue, this study aimed to compare two MDT/SBs and establish an interoperable digital platform, Sarconnector®, for real-time-world data assessment and automated analysis. The study included 983 patients, 46.0% of whom female, with a median age of 58 years, and 4.5% of patients presented with metastasis at diagnosis. Differences were observed in the number of first-time presentations, follow-up presentations, primary sarcomas, biopsies and chemotherapy indications between the two MDT/SB. The results highlight the importance of benchmarking and utilizing a harmonized data approach, such as the RWT approach provided by the Sarconnector®, to standardize and evaluate quality and cost metrics. By identifying areas of improvement and making data-driven decisions on the meta-level, healthcare providers can optimize resources and improve patient outcomes. In conclusion, benchmarking with the RWT harmonized data approach provided by the Sarconnector® can help healthcare providers improve the overall effectiveness of the healthcare system and achieve better outcomes for their patients in terms of both outcomes and costs.