William Eward, MD, DVM, leads the Orthopaedic Oncology Division and has the expertise to identify the type of sarcoma a patient might be experiencing. We offer you the latest treatments available today for these rare cancers, including high-dose radiation that targets explicitly your soft tissue sarcoma or bone cancer, limb-sparing surgeries, and advanced imaging technology that pinpoints the location of your tumor and helps distinguish it from healthy tissue. We give you access to every possibility and minimize your chances of undergoing an amputation.
The Duke sarcoma specialists are nationally recognized for diagnosing and treating sarcomas, rare cancers that occur in bones and soft tissues. Our experts offer the latest treatment options available today, preserve healthy tissue and bone, and perform comprehensive limb-sparing surgeries to avoid the need for amputation. We help you improve your chances for a positive outcome.
When our patients come to us for treatment for orthopaedic oncology, they receive care from nationally recognized medical professionals committed to their complete recovery. Duke is consistently ranked as one of the top orthopaedic programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
Faculty
Our faculty are thought leaders in the field of orthopaedics. Not only do they push the boundaries of medicine in the research lab to develop the best treatment options for patients in the clinic, but they are continually striving for new ways to teach the next generation of surgeons.
Patient Care
Duke’s sarcoma specialists are nationally recognized for diagnosing and treating sarcomas, rare cancers in bones and soft tissues. There are two main types of sarcoma. Malignant bone tumors are called osteosarcomas, bone sarcomas, or bone cancers. Malignant tumors in soft tissue — including fat, muscle, nerves, blood vessels, joints, and other tissue — have many different names but are generally known as soft tissue sarcomas. Receiving care at a medical center with Duke's level of expertise is crucial because sarcomas are rare cancers, representing only one percent of all adult cancer cases. And, because there are more than 50 types of sarcoma, it can be challenging to identify the type and appropriate treatment.
Research
Our doctors and researchers believe we may never fully understand rare cancers like sarcoma if we only study humans. That’s why we have a team researching how sarcoma behaves in animals. Our research team includes Dr. William Eward, an orthopaedic oncologist and a small animal veterinarian.
In addition, research being done by the Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Benjamin Alman, MD, focuses on understanding the role of developmentally essential processes in regeneration or pathologic conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. The long-term goal of their work is to use this knowledge to identify improved therapeutic approaches to orthopaedic pathologic disorders or to improve musculoskeletal healing. The Alman Lab extensively uses genetically modified mice to model human disease; and has used this approach to identify new drug therapies for musculoskeletal tumors and improve the outcome of trauma to cartilage, skin, or bone. Finally, Dr. Alman and his team have discovered a type of cell surrounding blood vessels that can also serve as a starting point for sarcoma, a form of cancer that occurs in bones and connective tissues.