Global teamwork brings hope for people with rare cancers
17 February 2026
Across the world, researchers are joining forces to solve one of the toughest challenges: how to find better, kinder, more effective treatments for rare cancers like sarcoma. At Peter Mac, this work is led by Professor David Gyorki, whose team connects with cancer centres worldwide to share knowledge, compare results, and build the evidence no single hospital could uncover alone.
Why collaboration matters for rare cancers
Some cancers – like sarcoma – are incredibly rare. Unlike more common cancers, sarcoma isn’t one disease but more than 100 subtypes, each behaving differently. That means no single hospital sees enough patients to run large studies or build clear evidence about which treatments work best.
As Professor Gyorki explains, “Sarcoma is a group of rare cancers… which is why studying these tumours is difficult, and why international collaboration is important.”
Global collaboration can drive the breakthroughs sarcoma patients need. Your support today will accelerate research that deliver kinder, more effective treatments faster.
Pooling knowledge from centres worldwide
Because sarcomas are so rare, Australia may only see a handful of cases of each type each year. That means too little data to run meaningful trials. But through global collaboration, Peter Mac researchers are changing that picture.
Professor Gyorki’s team leads a registry of almost 4,000 sarcoma patients across more than 20 centres worldwide. This gives researchers something they’ve never had before – enough data to compare treatments, see patterns, and understand which approaches work best for different sarcoma subtypes.
“Our database lets us see which treatments work best for which sarcomas,” said Professor Gyorki
This scale is what can lead to breakthroughs. Will you give today to help accelerate vital cancer research?
Leading a global trial that could redefine treatment
As well as the registry, Professor Gyorki is leading STRASS2, a worldwide clinical trial and one of Peter Mac’s range of sarcoma clinical trials. This is testing whether giving chemotherapy before surgery improves outcomes for people with retroperitoneal sarcoma, one of the most complex and high-risk sarcomas.
“STRASS2 is recruiting globally… it simply couldn’t happen in one country alone,” says Professor Gyorki.
If successful, this research could guide treatment decisions for years to come – helping doctors choose the most effective, least harmful options for each patient.
Your support can make breakthroughs like these happen, faster
Your investment can help Peter Mac researchers collaborate worldwide, and lead vital studies. You will help discover kinder, more effective treatments – so no one has to endure such suffering to survive cancer. Please help accelerate cancer research today.
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