Despite the 4:30am alarm to get me to Leeds by 9am, Spotlight on Sarcoma Day on 14 October 2026 was a fantastic experience. Hosted by Sarcoma UK and the North East and Yorkshire Sarcoma Network, the day was stimulating, informative and inspirational.
Just over 60 healthcare professionals working in sarcoma care, alongside a handful of representatives from sarcoma-focused charities, came together for a wide-ranging series of presentations covering:
- Recognising the signs and symptoms of sarcoma, referral pathways and what to expect
- Anverview of sarcoma using the proposed ODP (Operating Department Practitioner) as a framework
- Imaging for soft tissue and bone sarcomas, including diagnosis and staging
- Histopathology and genomics, including complexities and timelines
- Surgical principles in soft tissue and bone sarcomas
- The roles of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in sarcoma treatment
- Physiotherapy in sarcoma care
Three charities were also invited to give presentations. Alongside representatives from the Bone Cancer Research Trust and Maggie’s Yorkshire, who spoke about their organisations, I had the opportunity to introduce Leiomyosarcoma Research UK.
I spoke about what leiomyosarcoma is, who we are, our aims and the projects we’re currently working on. I’ll admit, I felt a little daunted speaking about leiomyosarcoma to a room full of medical professionals who undoubtedly knew far more about the subject than I did!
However, I had some really positive conversations with several of the speakers afterwards, and I hope our presentation helped raise awareness of LMS Research UK and the work we’re doing.
It was a brilliant opportunity to learn more about sarcoma care, meet professionals working in the field and share the work of LMS Research UK.
Here are a couple of photos from a great day in Leeds.
Colin
LMS Research UK Trustee
