The annual week, unique in its kind, reaches its 23rd edition and confirms its importance in attracting physicians and researchers who treat bone and soft tissue tumors: over one hundred oncologists, radiologists, surgical pathologists, orthopaedic surgeons, of whom half from abroad – China, India, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina amongst the countries of origin, besides a large number from Europe – attend the multidisciplinary Course, that lasts till Friday February 12th.

It is thanks to team work and to the debate between the different medical and research fields that in the years Rizzoli has obtained internationally recognized results in cure rates: today 70% of children and adolescents with a bone tumors may be cured, only ten years ago these diseases had an 80% mortality rate.

Rizzoli is an international reference point in this field also thanks to the registry for primary malignant bone tumors which collects all cases of malignant bone tumors from January 1st 1982 to date (5650), including clinical data from patients. This is the most numerous series in the world from a single institution and it is a rich cohort for all types of epidemiologic and clinical research in musculoskeletal oncology.

This is why, it is two years that Daniel Vanel, radiologist from the Institut Gustave-Roussy in Paris, one of the major experts in musculoskeletal radiology is attending Rizzoli with a research project.

Besides him, this year, the two guest professors for the week are renown experts in the field: from Boston Mark Gebhardt from the Beth Israel Hospital and from the famous Mayo Clinic the senior surgeon Franklin Sim. Rizzoli has a strong collaboration with both these US clinics, which include internships for formation and exchange programs for physicians and researchers.