Orthopaedic Oncology Service

The Orthopaedic Oncology Service was started by Dr. Henry J. Mankin nearly 40 years ago and has the only fellowship program approved for three fellows. This service has been under the direction of Dr. Francis J. Hornicek, Service Chief, for more than ten years. The other faculty include Drs. Kevin A. Raskin, Joseph H. Schwab, and Dempsey S. Springfield. Dr. Raskin is the current fellowship director and Dr. Schwab spends much of his time with spine oncology issues. The Musculoskeletal Tumor Fellowship, one of the most sought-after in the country, brings together members of Beth Israel Deaconess, Boston Children’s Hospital, and the MGH to develop an undisputed world-class fellowship program. Recently, Dr. Springfield has been focusing much of his time on educational issues in the Graduate Medical Education Division.

Orthopaedic Oncology, Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology Services, and the members of Pathology and Radiology form the Center of Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Oncology, offering specialized multidisciplinary patient care. As part of the MGH Cancer Center, this facility provides comprehensive care for children and adults with bone and soft tissue tumors and is a regional, national and international referral center for these complex tumors. Drs. Raskin, Springfield, Schwab, and Hornicek continue to enhance their clinical service with additional passions including orthopaedic research and medical student and resident education.

Drs. Francis Hornicek and Zhenfeng Duan run the Molecular Sarcoma Laboratory and have ongoing multiple collaborative efforts to study tumor multidrug resistance and develop novel drugs to treat cancer. Through NIH funding, they are working hard to bring their discoveries to Phase I clinical trials for cancer patients. They are also involved in a unique sarcoma SPORE grant funded by the NIH.

Dr. Schwab, along with faculty from the Mayo Clinic and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, has initiated the International Sacral Study group. This group has focused some efforts on quality of life problems following complex surgical procedures.

The clinical service has increased its surgical time and is bringing in more complex cases from around the world. Novel methods for treating large primary tumors of the axial skeleton attract these patients, who are managed in a strong multidisciplinary fashion. The Orthopaedic Oncology group has a truly impressive past, a highly productive present, and a bright future of innovation in many areas!