Musculoskeletal Oncology Services at UPMC

Bone Cancer and Soft Tissue Conditions We Treat

There are several types of bone cancers, but all bone cancers fall into two categories:

• Primary — cancer that starts in the bone.
• Secondary — cancer that starts in another part of the body and spreads to the bone.

Soft tissue tumors often present as a lump in the parts of the body that hold us together:

• Muscles
• Fat
• Connective tissues

These tumors can range from harmless lipomas or simple fatty tumors to dangerous sarcomas (cancers).

Types of bone cancers and soft tissue tumors we treat

Musculoskeletal oncology experts at UPMC Orthopaedic Care treat the following conditions:

• Osteosarcoma — most common cancer to come from the bone itself.
• Soft tissue sarcomas — cancers from the muscles and connective tissues.
• Ewing’s sarcoma — most common in school-aged children and teenagers.
• Metastatic bone disease — a common occurrence with advanced cancers.
• Chondrosarcoma — often found in the pelvic, thigh, or arm bones.
• Chordoma — commonly found in the skull base and tailbone.
• Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) — a tumor that occurs in the joints.
• Giant cell tumor of bone — a noncancerous tumor.

Musculoskeletal Oncology Experts

The musculoskeletal oncology program at UPMC Orthopaedic Care has dedicated experts in the field of bone cancer treatment.

• Stella J. Lee, MD
• Richard McGough III, MD
• Kurt Weiss, MD

To promote the best outcomes possible, our three dedicated orthopaedic oncologists work with other UPMC experts in a team setting, including:

• Microvascular surgeons
• Spine surgeons
• General and colorectal surgeons
• Vascular surgeons

Complete orthopaedics and cancer care

Our program also offers supporting services that span the entire field of orthopaedics and cancer care.

One of our greatest resources — UPMC Hillman Cancer Center — allows us to offer this integrated treatment and expertise.

• For people with bone and soft tissue malignancies, we have access to a complete cancer team, including chemotherapy and radiation oncology experts.
• Those with sarcomas receive coordinated care through the Sarcoma Specialty Care clinic at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Medical and radiation oncology specialists have specific expertise in sarcoma and musculoskeletal neoplasms.

Our team discusses all musculoskeletal tumor cases at our multidisciplinary meeting. In fact, UPMC is one of only 12 hospitals in the United States that has this kind of dedicated team.

And, with our open-door policy, we see all patients regardless of a referral from another physician.