Robert Lefkowitz, MD

Robert Lefkowitz, MD, is a radiologist specializing in abdominal and musculoskeletal imaging and he has a particular interest in imaging of soft tissue tumors. Currently, he is involved in several prospective and retrospective research projects evaluating the treatment response of desmoid tumors to medical therapy and the associated changes seen on MRI.

Prof. Bernd Kasper, MD, PhD, studied Medicine at the University of Heidelberg and received his MD degree from Heidelberg University in 2000. In 2001, he finalized his thesis at the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, dealing with new treatment strategies for chronic myelogenous leukemia patients using the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib. To deepen his training, he stayed in London (Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Department of Haematology), Brussels (Jules Bordet Institute, Medical Oncology Clinic) and South Kerala, India. In 2007 and 2008, he specialized in Internal Medicine and Medical Haematology/Oncology at the Department of Internal Medicine V at the University of Heidelberg. Currently, he works at the Sarcoma Unit at the Mannheim Cancer Center (MCC), University of Heidelberg. Prof. Kasper has a life-time professional dedication to patient care and research in soft tissue sarcomas (STS), desmoid-type fibromatosis (DF) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).

He is head of the study center of the German Interdisciplinary Sarcoma Group (GISG). He serves as the current Chair of the EORTC Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group (STBSG) and is member of the Board of Directors of the Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS). Prof. Kasper has authored around 100 scientific publications. He is a dedicated board member to patient organizations dealing with STS, DF and GIST on the national and international level such as SPAGN, NLMSF, and the DTRF.

Peter Hohenberger, MD, is Head of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Thoracic Surgery at the Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg. He is a boarded surgeon in visceral and vascular surgery as well as in thoracic surgery and surgical intensive care. He got his professional education at the University of Erlangen and was trained in psychology and pathology. His surgical qualifications were received at the University of Heidelberg. 

He has held senior positions at the Department of Surgery, University of Heidelberg as well as at Charité, Berlin. He is a surgical oncologist now specializing in the treatment of GIST and soft tissue tumors and is the Past-Chairman of the EORTC Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group. He is a collaborator to the EORTC organisation (GI, melanoma and STBSG) since the 1980s and has been a member of the Protocol Review Committee as well as to the Board of EORTC for nine years each. His center has participated in major multinational randomized studies on the treatment of GIST and sarcoma. Trial activities also include the EU-funded EUROSARC and CONTICANET consortia. MITIGATE is a most recently started research network pursuing the treatment of imatinib-resistant GIST. He served on the faculty of the AACR/ASCO/FECS course on Methods of Clinical Cancer Research for seven years and is also member to the advisory board of SPAGN (Sarcoma Patients Euronet), Das LEBENSHAUS and was one of the initiators of SOS-DESMOID. In addition, the Mannheim center hosts the German Interdisciplinary Sarcoma Group (GISG).

Rick Haas, MD, is a soft tissue sarcoma focused radiation-oncologist from the NKI-AVL in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where he is employed now for almost 25 years. He is an active member of CTOS (Board of Directors 2015-2017), the EORTC-STBSG (President of the Local Treatment Subcommittee), and the Sarcoma Patients Euronet (SPAGN) Patient Advocacy Organization (Medical Advisory Board). He initiated several sarcoma related clinical trials in phase I (NCT01985295), phase II (NCT02575066, NCT02106312) and phase III (NCT01344018).

Candace Haddox, MD, sees patients with soft tissue and bone sarcomas and tumors, and also leads clinical trials both in the sarcoma group and in Dana Farber’s early phase clinical trial program. Her research interests are in identifying and developing novel targeted therapies and immune therapies across various subtypes of sarcomas and also fundamentally understanding why treatments do or do not work. 

Dr. Mrinal Gounder is the Scientific Director of DTRF and a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Boards. He is a medical oncologist at MSKCC specializing in sarcomas and developing new drugs in cancer and specializes in desmoid tumors. He is an internationally recognized leader in desmoid tumors and has led numerous clinical trials in desmoid tumors. He led the phase 3, international studies of sorafenib and nirogacestat in desmoid tumors. In collaboration with DTRF, MSKCC, and IQVIA, he developed the GODDESS© patient reported outcomes tool – the first of its kind to evaluate the experience of patients with desmoid tumors.