The fourth SarcBOP Saturday at Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) once again demonstrated the great need for understandable information and direct exchange on the subject of sarcomas. This rare tumor disease occurs in muscles, fat, bone, cartilage, or connective tissue. A distinction is made between soft tissue sarcomas and bone sarcomas. The hybrid SarcBOP Saturday event in mid-November brought together patients, relatives, interested parties, and experts from clinics and research.

The focus was on the SarcBOP project (Sarcoma Biology and Outcomes Project), which collects clinical, molecular, imaging, and pathological data and also regularly surveys patient experiences, for example, on quality of life, joint function, anxiety, or sleep. In addition, tissue and blood samples are collected and stored in biobanks in order to gain a deeper understanding of tumor biology, for example through whole genome, RNA, or protein analyses. The findings generated in this way are incorporated into research, care, therapy development, and guideline work. The goal of SarcBOP is to create a database containing all information relevant to the treatment and research of sarcomas.

SarcBOP Saturday offered a varied mix of experience reports, specialist presentations, and discussions. Burkhard Lehner, Clinic for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery at UKHD, and Richard F. Schlenk, Head of the NCT Heidelberg Study Center, led the program. Topics included new findings from translational sarcoma research, the importance of the biobank, patient-related studies, and current developments in therapy and aftercare.

SarcBOP Saturday is more than just a scientific presentation event. The format deliberately focuses on dialogue rather than lectures. Asking questions, contributing personal experiences, discussing feedback—this openness was once again particularly appreciated by the participants. One participant summed it up: “It was informative, understandable, and the knowledge conveyed is really helpful for us as affected individuals.” Another affected individual expressed gratitude for the “dedicated work that saves lives.”

Feedback like this underscores the value of the meeting: research becomes more tangible, those affected feel heard, and experts gain insights that are often lacking in everyday clinical practice.
SarcBOP Saturday is to be continued as an open dialogue format in the coming years. Contributions from the community are expressly welcome – the project is happy to assist in their preparation.

SarcBOP Saturday is aimed at anyone interested in sarcoma research—from patients and their families to treatment teams. Participation is free of charge. Anyone who would like to attend in the future or contribute their own ideas can register their interest now.

Contact
SarcBOP Project Management
Editha Gnutzmann e.gnutzmann(at)nct-heidelberg.de