Your Impact

The money raised from Swing for a Cure goes to sarcoma research and clinical trials at the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center.

Sarcomas are cancerous tumors that develop in bones and soft tissues like fat, blood vessels, nerves, muscles, deep skin tissues and cartilage. Sarcomas are rare, with about 15,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States.

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center is one of a small number of health care centers in the U.S. offering you focused sarcoma care. Our team includes fellowship-trained clinicians in orthopedic oncology, surgical oncology and medical oncology, all with a clinical focus on sarcoma patients. Funds raised at Swing for a Cure support:

• Clinical trials. Every treatment that has ever made a difference in cancer care was once a part of a clinical trial. As the only National Cancer Institute-designated center in South Carolina, Hollings Cancer Center has access to clinical trials that aren't available anywhere else in the state. These opportunities provide the latest medications, therapies, and surgical techniques that can improve outcomes. Learn more about clinical trials at Hollings and see our current sarcoma clinical trials.

• Tissue banking.  Building a tissue bank for sarcomas helps scientists better understand what causes these rare cancers, which treatment options are likely to be most effective and how to improve patient care.

• Clinical and basic science research. Because sarcomas are rare, there are still many questions for which health professionals are seeking answers. At Hollings, we understand how important research is in understanding sarcoma and developing effective treatments. Some recent projects include:

• Developing new therapies that the FDA granted rare pediatric disease designation to provide new hope for osteosarcoma patients.

• Using new technology like custom cutting jigs to provide pinpoint surgical cuts to preserve as much normal function for the patient.