Your Impact

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

Sarcomas are cancerous tumors that arise in the bones and connective tissue of the body. Connective tissue includes: fat, blood vessels, nerves, muscles, deep skin tissues, and cartilage. Sarcomas are rare, with about 12,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the U.S.

Hollings Cancer Center has one of the leading sarcoma treatment and research programs in the Southeastern United States, with a team including experienced physicians and scientists who are working to develop better therapies and treatments. Funds raised at Swing for a Cure will support the following programs:    

• Clinical trials - Every drug that has ever made a difference in cancer treatment was once part of a clinical trial. Hollings Cancer Center offers clinical trials for sarcoma that aren't available elsewhere in South Carolina.    
• Tissue banking - Building a tissue bank for sarcomas helps scientists better understand what causes this rare disease, which treatment options are likely to be effective, and how to improve patient care in years to come.    
• Clinical and basic science research - Scientists are studying sarcomas and the various causes of highly aggressive tumors. This research is leading to discoveries that will improve care and outcomes for our patients.

Thaxton Lab

"The long-term goal of our lab is to create and implement novel immune-based strategies that advance care for sarcoma and metastatic bone disease patients. We believe that as an academic lab it is essential to undertake research that is basic in nature yet has direct clinical implication. For this reason we work with clinicians to determine important clinical problems and we design our research to address the basic science mechanisms that may enable better clinical care."

Please visit the Thaxton Lab website to learn about the amazing research being performed by Dr. Jessica Thaxton, Dr. Lee Leddy, and their team.