EPG Health Media, specialists in e-communication solutions and digital publishing for the health sector, today announced the launch of a new interactive Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS) knowledge centre. The new resource is hosted on www.epgonline.org, an online medical education resource for Healthcare Professionals (HCPs).
Soft tissue sarcomas are a group of diverse and ubiquitous tumours that originate in tissues such as fat, muscles, nerves, tendons, blood and lymphatic vessels (the soft tissues that connect, support and surround other parts of the body). They can occur anywhere in the body but most commonly arise in the limbs (approximately 50% of cases).
STS account for approximately 1% of all adult cancers1. The incidence appears to be increasing2, possibly as a result of better recognition and diagnosis. Every year around 13,000 new cases of soft tissue sarcomas are diagnosed in adults and children in Europe and slightly more than 50% of these new patients die from this disease. The 5-year survival rate for patients with soft tissue sarcoma is around 90% if the cancer is detected in early phases and before it has spread. However, the 5-year survival rate is 10% to 15% for sarcomas with metastasis.
The Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS) Knowledge Centre on the EPG Online website aims to provide healthcare professionals with the latest, most up-to-date information regarding the disease and its management.
Information includes classification of STS, clinical presentation, diagnosis and appropriate management options. There is also a wealth of useful resources for both healthcare professionals and their patients.
“Raising awareness in this serious but relatively rare condition is the key objective of the new resource” said Paul Field, EPG Health Media “By educating and supporting health professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of Soft Tissue Sarcoma we hope to improve the outcome for sufferers through all stages of the disease”.
The new STS knowledge centre is the latest addition to the EPG Online ‘library’ of more than twenty knowledge centres. Other disease knowledge centres focus on a range of chronic and acute conditions including asthma, cystic fibrosis, renal anaemia, migraine, diabetes, thrombosis and various types of cancer. To access the knowledge centres, healthcare professionals will be required to register (for free) or login with their EPG username and password.
In addition to disease knowledge centres, EPG Online includes a database of drugs (searchable by name and indication), clinical trials, guideline information and original medical news articles. Established in 2000, it is an independent website, dedicated to providing HCP’s with access to the most recent best-practice diagnosis and patient management guidance.
References:
1. Jemal A, Siegel R et al. (2007) “Cancer statistics, 2007.” CA Cancer J Clin 57: 43–66.
2. Zahm SH, Fraumeni Jr JF et al. (1997) “The epidemiology of soft tissue sarcoma.” Semin Oncol 24(5): 504–14.
About EPG Health Media.
EPG Health Media is part of UK based IMR International Ltd, a private limited Company specialising in the delivery of e-communication and digital information solutions. The Company’s activities fall within three key areas of competency; electronic publishing; e-marketing/communications solutions and market research.
CONTACT
Charlotte Batten
EPG Health Media Public Relations
PHONE: (+44) 01892 667512
E-MAIL: [email protected]
WEB: www.epghealthmedia.com
