Program

Physician Assistant M.S.

Year Approved

2022

First Advisor

Ekbom, Gregory

Second Reader

Alicia Klein;

Abstract

Sarcoma is a rare neoplasm that may be found in any location in the body’s soft tissues or bone (NCCN, 2020). As with all cancer, early diagnosis is important. With sarcoma, there is increased urgency to obtain a proper diagnosis early on because of the common incidence of metastasis of the primary tumor. The increased rate of metastasis in sarcoma is due to the favorable spread of cancer cells through the blood and lymphatic system (Pennacchioli et al., 2012). The treatment protocol after a new diagnosis of sarcoma depends on the type and may include multi-targeted therapies such as chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery (Gebhardt, et al., 2022). There exists a lack of access to sarcoma patient education and an increasing population in the U.S. with decreased health literacy. These factors contribute to a decreased patient understanding of their diagnosis and are found to decrease survival. Literature review and analysis of online sarcoma education shows that existing education is written above what the NIH considers the general U.S. population’s reading level (Patel et. al., 2015). This led to a partnership between the authors and Rein in Sarcoma (RIS), a non-profit organization based out of Minnesota. The authors partnered with RIS to enhance remotely accessible and easy to understand sarcoma education through online videos aimed for newly diagnosed sarcoma patients and their families. The five video series describes what sarcoma is, treatment options, experiences from sarcoma survivors, caregiver experience, and education on various topics such as: advanced directives, hospice, and palliative care. The videos were professionally edited and distributed by RIS online to increase accessibility of sarcoma education.

Degree Name

Masters of Science in Physician Assistant

Document Type

Masterʼs thesis

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