A mission that began with one physician, one patient and one conversation continues
When participants gather on Sunday, Oct. 11, for the annual STL Cure Sarcoma 6K Run/Walk in Creve Coeur Park in Maryland Heights, they will celebrate more than a fundraising event. They will honor a community built around improving the lives of people affected by sarcoma and advancing research toward better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
Sarcoma, a cancer affecting bone, muscle and connective tissue, is rare, accounting for less than 1% of U.S. cancer diagnoses in adults and 7% in children. Its rarity makes the sarcoma community particularly tight knit.
Regionally, the sarcoma community traces its roots to a partnership between Brian Van Tine, MD, PhD, who was a nationally recognized sarcoma specialist at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine, and patient Felicia Doll, who was diagnosed with mesenchymal chondrosarcoma in 2012. Encouraged by Van Tine to use her experience to help others, she helped launch STL Cure Sarcoma, which has grown into a powerful force for both research funding and patient support.
Sadly, the community has since lost both Doll, who succumbed to the disease in 2019, and Van Tine, who passed away in 2025 following an acute illness. Their spirit and legacies continue to inspire the work of STL Cure Sarcoma.
“Dr. Van Tine understood that his patients were more than their diagnoses,” said Steve Doll, Felicia’s husband and president of STL Cure Sarcoma. “He encouraged them to continue finding purpose, meaning and joy throughout their journeys, even in the face of extraordinary challenges. Together, he and Felicia envisioned an event that would bring sarcoma patients, survivors, families, caregivers and supporters together, giving people facing similar experiences an opportunity to meet, develop meaningful relationships and build a strong and supportive community.”
Sarcomas encompass more than 100 distinct subtypes of bone and soft-tissue cancer, their numbers making them especially difficult to treat. WashU Medicine’s Sarcoma Program at Siteman is one of the largest such programs in the Midwest, with both extensive expertise in patient care and a portfolio of more than 20 active clinical trials for sarcoma patients.
Inspired by Van Tine’s vision, WashU Medicine medical oncologist Angela Hirbe, MD, PhD, now directs the program at Siteman Cancer Center, which sees more than 150 sarcoma patients a week from across the country. An internationally renowned physician-scientist, Hirbe researches biomarker discovery for cancer detection in patients with genetic risk factors for sarcomas. She also studies treatments for neurofibromatosis-associated tumors and other rare sarcomas. She recently merged her own lab with that of Van Tine’s, which was focused on metabolic research related to sarcomas.
“It’s a powerful research team,” Hirbe said. “Our visions are entwined because we had collaborated for years. I’m committed to maintaining that legacy.”
Over a decade ago, Van Tine and Hirbe co-founded the Midwest Sarcoma Trials Partnership, which has grown into a national research collaborative that includes Northwestern University, the University of Iowa, the University of Wisconsin, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota and the University of California, San Francisco. The partnership shares resources and research into a wide range of sarcomas.
Also built as a partnership 12 years ago, STL Cure Sarcoma has raised more than $1.7 million for research. Much of the funding, now administered through a partnership with Sarcoma Strong and the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, has supported research at Siteman Cancer Center and WashU Medicine.
“STL Cure Sarcoma definitely has been a catalyst to move our research forward,” Hirbe said. “Philanthropy is incredibly important to help scientists get new ideas off the ground, and it serves to support the foundational research needed to later obtain larger federal funding grants.”
As the 13th annual STL Cure Sarcoma 6K Run/Walk approaches, organizers, researchers and participants share a common goal: carrying forward a mission that began with one physician, one patient and one conversation.
“Without Dr. Van Tine’s vision, guidance and encouragement, STL Cure Sarcoma would not exist,” Doll said. “But the work he helped inspire will continue. The battle is not over.”