“Continuity of care throughout the lifespan is important for sarcoma patients,” said Leo Mascarenhas, MD, director of the Adult and Pediatric Sarcoma Program and the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “Our multidisciplinary expertise, which includes pathology, radiation oncology and surgical care, means both adults and children with sarcoma can receive all of their care in one place.”

Mascarenhas is a professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University and pediatric hematologist-oncologist who has more than 25 years of clinical and research experience. He has led multi-institutional clinical trials for Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma and other rare pediatric solid tumors.

Additional Cedars-Sinai Sarcoma Experts

James Hu, MD, associate director of the Sarcoma Program, has more than 30 years of clinical experience in medical oncology. His research focuses on evaluating novel biomarkers and liquid biopsy methods to improve the treatment of bone and soft tissue sarcomas and examining risk factors for young patients facing rare forms of cancer.

Earl Brien, MD, surgical director of the Sarcoma Bone Tumor Program and professor of Orthopaedics, is an orthopedic oncology specialist. His research focuses on surgical strategies for treating complex soft tissue sarcomas, improving surgical techniques for the removal of bone cancers while avoiding amputations, and use of circulating tumor DNA to noninvasively assess treatment response.

Jason Chan, MD, is a board-certified medical oncologist who specializes in the care of people with sarcoma, including desmoid tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), as well as other soft tissue and bone sarcomas. He studies how cancers adapt and become resistant to treatment, with a focus on the ability of cancer cells to shift into different cell states that may allow them to grow, spread and survive therapy.

Fahima Dossa, MD, PhD, surgical oncologist in the Jim and Eleanor Randall Department of Surgery, primarily treats soft tissue sarcoma, including gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma and desmoid tumors. She also specializes in treatment of retroperitoneal sarcoma, which develops deep in the fat or muscle of the abdomen, using a specific operative technique to help prevent recurrence.

Behrooz Hakimian, MD, is an assistant professor of Radiation Oncology whose research merges clinical trial exploration with advanced radiation oncology techniques, focusing on patient safety during therapy for complex sarcomas and soft tissue tumors.

Mitchell Kamrava, MD, is a professor of Radiation Oncology whose sarcoma research centers on optimizing preoperative radiation, reducing treatment timelines and predicting post-surgical complications. He has been a co-investigator on pivotal clinical trials evaluating a condensed five-day preoperative radiation regimen for high-risk primary soft tissue sarcomas.

Eugene Kim, MD, is a professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, director of the Division of Pediatric Surgery and vice chair of the Department of Surgery. He is recognized for his expertise in pediatric surgical oncology and he is a key member of the sarcoma team.

Joseph Schwab, MD, director of Spine Oncology in the Department of Orthopaedics, is a specialist in managing sarcomas of the spine—including rare, complex tumors like chondrosarcomas and chordomas—in adults. His research focus includes use of algorithms and machine learning to build tools that optimize clinical decision-making for bone and soft tissue tumors.

Media Contact

To schedule an interview with a Cedars-Sinai sarcoma expert, contact Christina Elston at christina.elston@cshs.org or 626-298-0702.

Imagine a world in which the digital watch on your wrist tracks not only your step count, but also your blood sugar, heart rate, blood pressure and respiration. Then, the watch automatically sends a personalized health snapshot to your physician, alerting them to early signs of disease.

That scenario could become reality in the near future, according to Joseph Schwab, MD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Center for Surgical Innovation and Engineering, who is leading innovative research in wearable healthcare technologies.

Schwab, also Cedars-Sinai’s director of Spine Oncology for Orthopaedic Surgery, will present the latest trends in his research about wearable health technology during the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Feb. 12-16. During the conference, Schwab also will participate in the President’s Symposium, sharing insights on generative artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT. He also will discuss healthcare privacy issues that can occur with these technologies.

The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom sat down with Schwab to discuss the scope of his research and how he sees AI impacting the future of healthcare.

What makes your lab different from other research facilities?

My co-director, Hamid Ghaednia, PhD, is a mechanical engineer and our lab is unique in the sense that it is heavily engineering-based. A lot of what we are doing day to day is building things. So rather than test tubes and microscopes, we have lathes and band saws. We have several 3D printers and a whole room dedicated to electronics, where we solder devices together. The research team’s engineering expertise is a key differentiator, and our clinical and engineering partnership is distinctive to what we do. Not only do we have the equipment, but we have the know-how to go with it.

We are one of the few research facilities in the country where we can identify a clinical need, discuss it, come up with a potential solution, build that solution and begin testing, all within one center.

What are a few of the innovations you’re working on?

Our focus area is wearable devices. Consumer wearables on the market are essentially motion trackers. They may have an accelerometer or gyroscope that can simply measure your position or motion to track steps and other data. What we’re doing is different in that our devices are sending energy—in the form of light, electrical energy and sound—into the tissues, and we can measure that energy as it leaves the tissue, and we can deduce things based on how the energy was affected by the tissue.

For example, when you are at the doctor and they use a reflex hammer above your knee to test for a reflex reaction, they are only able to identify the presence or absence of the reflex. Instead, wearable devices that we are developing can quantitate the reflex response—things like how long it took to respond, the robustness of the response, etc. We can give a very specific number connotation to these data points, which we hope will translate into better diagnoses.

How is AI used in the work you do?

The sensors on our wearable devices receive an incredible amount of data from the energy after it has traveled through the tissue, which requires advanced computing power to interpret. At its core, AI is just that—very advanced mathematics and computer programming. We utilize AI to interpret the data captured and correlate it to clinical problems.

Separate from our wearable technologies, we are also able to use AI to make predictions on a smaller scale for use in clinical practice, such as interpreting electronic health data. For instance, a patient may be considering a procedure that has a 5% risk of complication for the whole population; however, using AI to interpret their personal health information, we may learn that their individual complication risk is closer to 25%. This could heavily impact their decision-making. Giving more precise predictions like this is a form of personalized medicine.

Who can benefit from these new technologies?

These technologies can truly benefit everyone across the healthcare spectrum. Patients whose health data is analyzed could receive more personalized care. They could be directed to more precise tests to get an accurate diagnosis and personalized treatments, for example, and may ultimately have better outcomes.

There’s even the potential for a positive impact on healthcare payers and insurance companies by making the right treatment decisions, and thus reducing health expenditures. There are so many opportunities and benefits.  

Where do you see this field headed in the next five to 10 years?

In my opinion, it won’t be too long before we stop using the terms artificial intelligence and machine learning altogether because it will just be integrated into everything we do, running in the background as common practice. It will no longer be a mystery.

As it relates to wearable technologies, I see these becoming part of the expected process of medical assessments. There is the opportunity to learn so much more through these devices than you would glean from a basic physical examination, and the data can be captured in advance of a patient even seeing the provider. A medical appointment can become much more accurate and efficient when the provider has already been able to review and interpret the data collected.

Wearable technology and the integration of AI into the consumption and delivery of healthcare is only going to continue to grow with time, and I think people will become very comfortable and begin to rely on these devices in a good way.

Read more from Cedars-Sinai Discoveries Magazine: Artificial Intelligence Advances

Earlier this year, Joseph Schwab, MD, joined Cedars-Sinai as the new director of Spine Oncology for Orthopaedic Surgery and the director of the Center for Surgical Innovation and Engineering, leading the expansion of the spine oncology program, providing destination expert care for patients with challenging spine disorders.

“Our growing spine and orthopaedic teams represent an unparalleled fusion of specialized expertise dedicated to transforming patient care,” said Mark Vrahas, MD, chair of Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics. “Our newest faculty bring with them highly tailored skills that will give patients personalized care and optimal outcomes.”

Joining Schwab are three new orthopaedic specialists.

Andrew Bach, DO, a physiatrist with a focus on physical medicine and rehabilitation, specializes in non-operative solutions for spinal issues.

Motivated by personal experience, Bach is dedicated to alleviating back pain without resorting to surgery whenever possible.

During his college years, Bach grappled with back pain and was advised to undergo spine surgery. Seeking alternative opinions, he was referred to a non-operative spine specialist who successfully relieved his pain, without having to undergo unnecessary surgical procedures.

Bach aims to guide patients toward accurate diagnoses and surgical evaluations only when necessary.

“Dr. Bach's involvement is crucial to our comprehensive spine care program, focusing on non-operative approaches,” said Theodore Goldstein, MD, vice chair of the Spine Center at Cedars-Sinai. “His role includes collaborating with therapists, devising spine protocols, and infusing energy, expertise, and cohesion into the often-challenging transition from in-patient care to acute or chronic rehab as needed."

Bach holds a Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine from Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Pediatric orthopaedic surgeon Amelia Lindgren, MD, brings expertise in hip dysplasia, lower extremity deformity, and skeletal dysplasia.

Lindgren will provide care at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center.

“We look forward to the contributions Dr. Lindgren will make to our shared goals and endeavors,” said David Skaggs, MD, director of Pediatric Orthopaedics at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s. and director of Spine Service. “Her expertise will allow us to provide specialized care to our growing pediatric population.”

Lindgren completed an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of California, San Diego, and a fellowship in pediatric orthopaedic surgery at Nemours-DuPont Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware. 

Spine surgeon Christopher Mikhail, MD, specializes in healing complex spinal pathologies, including spinal deformities such as scoliosis, congenital anomalies, and degenerative scoliosis.

Mikhail's expertise in spinal deformity surgery, as well as robotics and navigation, allow him to utilize the most advanced technology for preoperative surgical planning with artificial intelligence to execute surgical plans with the highest accuracy.

Mikhail completed residency in orthopaedic surgery at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and a combined orthopaedic and neurosurgical spine fellowship under the tutelage of Lawrence Lenke and Daniel K Riew at the Och Spine Hospital at New York Presbyterian at Columbia University, and Weill Cornell Medical Center.  

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Seeking a Second Opinion for a Spine Condition

Schwab combines extensive experience in translational research and clinical trials with a record of high-quality clinical care. He specializes in the management of benign and malignant bone tumors as well as spinal disorders, including stenoses and myelopathy. His expertise will drive transformative advancements in spine oncology and surgical technology at Cedars-Sinai.

“Dr. Schwab's visionary leadership and profound impact on orthopaedic surgery make him an invaluable addition to our leadership team,” said Mark Vrahas, MD, chair of Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics. “His expertise aligns seamlessly with our mission to deliver exceptional patient care and to pioneer new frontiers in orthopaedic medical research."

Schwab will lead the expansion of the spine oncology program, providing destination expert care for patients with challenging spine disorders. Under his direction, the Center for Surgical Technology and AI Research will foster interdisciplinary surgery discovery as Cedars-Sinai advances the development of innovative AI and predictive algorithmic applications for complex spine and musculoskeletal oncology care.

"I am honored to join Cedars-Sinai and contribute to the advancement of spine oncology and surgical technology," Schwab said. "Backed by an exceptional team and leading-edge facilities, we are ready to make groundbreaking strides in patient care, research and innovation."

Schwab comes to Cedars-Sinai from Harvard Medical School, where he served as an associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. He also was chief of the Orthopaedic Spine Center, director of Spinal Oncology and co-director of the Stephan L. Harris Center for Chordoma Care at Massachusetts General Hospital. Additionally, he directed the SORG Research Laboratory, the Center for Physical Artificial Intelligence at Mass General and the Mass General Brigham Orthopaedic Registries.

Schwab is joined at Cedars-Sinai by a team of researchers from the SORG Research Laboratory, including mechanical engineer Hamid Ghaednia, PhD, whose research focuses on the development of biomedical devices and wearables using a combination of analytical and machine learning algorithms.  

Schwab received his medical degree and a master's degree in clinical pathology from Chicago Medical School and completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic, followed by fellowships in spine surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and the Rizzoli Institute in Bologna, Italy. He also completed a fellowship in orthopaedic oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and received a second master’s degree from the Harvard/MIT Clinical Investigator Training Program.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Seeking a Second Opinion for a Spine Condition