Advancing Hope for a Rare Cancer
The Horowitz Solitary Fibrous Tumor Initiative at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth – the University of Miami Health System, is a bold research and discovery program designed to accelerate understanding and treatment of solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) — a rare form of soft tissue sarcoma that accounts for just 2% of all sarcomas.
Why This Work Matters
While approximately 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with breast cancer annually, only about 17,000 are diagnosed with sarcoma — and just a few hundred with solitary fibrous tumor specifically. This rarity makes progress challenging but deeply meaningful. Every discovery can shift the landscape for patients.
Full patient participation is essential to the research on SFT. When a disease is this rare, every patient’s story — the details of their specific journey — becomes a key to discovery. Together, they open the door to cures.
Click here to register a patient for inclusion in the Horowitz Solitary Fibrous Tumor Initiative research program. For more information about the patient registry, contact Peggy Gonzalez at 305-243-8091 or pgonzalez@miami.edu.
A Mission Driven by Urgency and Vision
Inside the Research
Led by Gina D’Amato, M.D., and supported by MD/PhD investigators including Jonathan Trent, M.D., Ph.D., and orthopaedic oncologist Dr. Mark Hornicek, the initiative has recruited top scientists such as David Lombard, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Michigan to engineer mouse models of SFT. These preclinical tools are vital because sarcoma cell lines are notoriously difficult to grow compared to more common cancers.
“Every question we answer leads to 10 more, but each one brings us closer to treatment breakthroughs. The pace of discovery has dramatically increased thanks to genomic technology and support from donors who understand that rare doesn’t mean hopeless.”
Horowitz Solitary Fibrous Tumor Initiative Research Team
The research team advances tumor profiling, cell line development, and therapeutic discovery to accelerate precision medicine for SFT patients.
Meet the Research TeamReal Progress, Real Patients
One key breakthrough: Researchers are modeling the NAB2-STAT6 gene fusion — a defining feature of SFT — to study how this mutation drives tumor growth and to test drugs that may interrupt it.
By participating in the Initiative, patients may benefit from:
- Contribution to global SFT research through the registry and biobank
- Access to enhanced diagnostic and genomic testing
- Referral to novel therapeutics and clinical trials
- Lifelong monitoring and disease risk assessment
- Integration into patient support services including survivorship care
Patient Registration and Eligibility
Physicians across and beyond the University of Miami Health System may refer patients with solitary fibrous tumor (or the historical subtype hemangiopericytoma) to the Initiative. Patients and caregivers may also self register.
To qualify:
- Age 18 years or older
- Fluency in English, Spanish, or Haitian Creole
- International patients willing to receive care in South Florida are welcome to register
Join the SFT Patient Registry
Your participation supports research and improves treatment outcomes for individuals with solitary fibrous tumors.
Register a PatientYou Can Help Move the Needle
Continued progress depends on resources. Gifts to the Horowitz Solitary Fibrous Tumor Initiative fuel the research infrastructure, lab models, and global collaborations that make discovery possible.
Support the Horowitz Solitary Fibrous Tumor Initiative
Your generosity accelerates research progress and expands care for people affected by solitary fibrous tumors.
Make a DonationLearn More about Solitary Fibrous Tumor Research
Journal articles:
- Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Infratemporal Fossa
- The Role of Chemotherapy in Advanced Solitary Fibrous Tumors: A Retrospective Analysis
Research Summaries:
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