An estimated 1,700 people were diagnosed with soft-tissue sarcomas and 285 with bone cancers in 2023. Survival rates depend on the specific type of sarcoma a person gets diagnosed with.
Sarcomas affect people of all ages but are more common amongst children and young adults. They can show up on any part of the body and are named depending on where they arise. While primary tumours can normally be treated of found early enough, once sarcomas metastasize they are often deadly.
High mortality rates and limitations in the treatment of metastatic disease make sarcomas a pressing health issue in Canada.
Our Research Strategy
Given these challenges, the Terry Fox Research Institute has embarked on a multi-pronged strategy to fund the best sarcoma scientific teams and programs in the country.
To allocate its resources, the Institute has international experts evaluate the excellence and the potential for impact of all its research projects. This approach distinguishes our research investment strategy from all others in Canada and allows donors to be confident that their investment is supporting the top 5% of Canadian researchers and their science.
*Our scientific discovery projects are interdisciplinary by design and often focus on more than one cancer type. The figures listed above are an estimate and should not be taken as exact figures.