Sarcoma Outreach Clinics To Be Established In The Midlands

Clinics are to be set up at Tullamore and Portlaoise hospitals. 

Cancer Trials Ireland (CTI) and the Beatrice Pembroke Walsh Foundation (BPW) have announced a new partnership to improve care and drive research for people affected by sarcoma in Ireland.

The initiative, developed in collaboration with St Vincent’s University Hospital’s Sarcoma Network Ireland, will focus on two priorities: bringing specialist sarcoma care closer to patients through regional outreach clinics, and strengthening national research into leiomyosarcoma (LMS), a rare and aggressive cancer.

Sarcoma patients in Ireland are typically treated and monitored through specialist services based in Dublin. While this ensures access to expert care, it can involve long and frequent journeys for routine follow-up appointments, particularly for those living outside the capital.

Under this new partnership, specialist sarcoma outreach clinics will be established in the Midlands, at Tullamore and Portlaoise hospitals. 

These clinics will provide planned follow-up care closer to home for up to 100 people with Sarcoma, while maintaining strong links to the national sarcoma service in Dublin. 

The partnership also has a strong research dimension.  It will support the development of a national sarcoma registry and biobank, helping to collect clinical information and biological samples in a structured way to inform future research and clinical trials in leiomyosarcoma (LMS).

Leiomyosarcoma is an extremely rare form of cancer, affecting approximately six in one million people.  Affecting mainly women, it is often difficult to diagnose due to its rarity and wide range of symptoms.

Beatrice Pembroke Walsh lost her life to LMS at just 53 years of age in October, 2022, and establishing a Foundation to fund education and research to prevent other women experiencing a similar fate was her dying wish. 

That wish has been honoured by her family and the Foundation is already funding a student from Ireland to undertake his PhD in Oxford University, conducting research on Leiomyosarcoma (LMS).  

The partnership with CTI will see a new research project being undertaken that will analyse existing tumour samples from Irish patients with retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma. The aim is to better understand immune cell patterns and support the development of more targeted treatments in the future.

David Walsh, Chairperson of the Beatrice Pembroke Walsh Foundation, said the initiative reflects the Foundation’s commitment to improving both patient experience and long-term outcomes.  “When Beatrice was ill, I was fortunate to be able to take time away from work to bring her to appointments in Dublin. I know that is not the reality for many families. Travel adds stress at an already difficult time and can be a real barrier to care.

“These outreach clinics in the Midlands will make a very real difference for sarcoma patients. They will allow people to be monitored closer to home, reducing the burden of travel and helping patients stay connected to specialist care.  At the same time, we are investing in research that will improve understanding of leiomyosarcoma and help build better treatment options in the future. That was always at the heart of what Beatrice wanted to achieve.”

Angela Clayton-Lea, CEO, Cancer Trials Ireland said the partnership represents an important step forward for both patients and research.  “This partnership allows us to address two key challenges in sarcoma care in Ireland: access and evidence. The investment in research infrastructure, including a national registry and biobank, will help ensure Ireland is better positioned to develop and deliver future clinical trials.  This infrastructure is key to enabling pioneering research into LMS in Ireland and hopefully help deliver. We are grateful to the Beatrice Pembroke Walsh Foundation for its support and shared commitment to improving outcomes for patients with sarcoma.”

The Beatrice Pembroke Walsh Foundation was established in memory of Beatrice Walsh, who died from leiomyosarcoma in 2022. The Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness of the disease, supporting earlier diagnosis and funding research into improved treatments.

Together, Cancer Trials Ireland and the Beatrice Pembroke Walsh Foundation aim to deliver tangible improvements for patients in the near term through enhanced access to care, while also laying stronger foundations for future research and clinical trials in sarcoma.