Sarcomas are rare malignant tumors, with an overall incidence of 6/105/year. Bone and soft tissue connective tissue tumours encompass more than 50 different rare histotypes and more than 150 different molecular subtypes. The incidence of individual rare sarcomas subtypes is often less than 0.5/105/year. Given the rarity of sarcomas as a group, but even more as individual entities, few prospective clinical trials testing local or systemic treatments have been performed in specific subtypes of sarcomas. Clinical trials in specific histological and molecular subtypes of sarcoma can only be performed through integrated clinical networks, centres of clinical excellence, supported by translational analysis.

The campaign Rare Cancers Europe has been developed by ESMO in collaboration with major European stakeholders in rare cancers and rare diseases to address challenges and propose solutions to eliminate the hurdles that patients with rare cancers, researchers, medical professionals and the pharmaceutical industry working in this field face every day. Rare Cancers Europe (RCE) has been established as a partnership of cooperating organisations that work together to place the issue of rare cancers firmly on the European policy agenda, to identify and promote appropriate solutions and to exchange best practice. SPAEN has now been welcomed into the partnership initiative. http://www.rarecancerseurope.org