These researchers dedicate their careers to finding new treatments and cures for people with cancer.
For Dr. Mark Dickson, the challenge of treating sarcoma is defined as much by complexity as it is by rarity.
“It’s a big field, but also a really small one,” he explains. In the United States, there are roughly 13,900 cases of soft tissue sarcoma each year—accounting for less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses. Yet within that small percentage there are more than 100 distinct subtypes, each dictated by its own biology and behavior.1
As a medical oncologist and researcher, Dr. Dickson has dedicated his career to understanding and treating that exact complexity. Working to merge everyday patient care with the creation of new treatments, he leads efforts for patients with complex diseases that have historically lacked effective treatment options.
His objective is clear: developing newer, more effective therapies that are easier for patients to tolerate.
Taking on a Complex Diseases
Sarcomas present a unique challenge. Unlike more common cancers, they are rarely linked to lifestyle or environmental factors. Instead, they are often what Dr. Dickson describes as “bad luck” cancers: unpredictable and deeply intricate at a cellular level.
For patients, that complexity can make even basic questions difficult to answer. Why did this happen? What comes next?
For clinicians and researchers, it makes developing universal treatments nearly impossible; each distinct subtype responds differently to therapy, and progress requires immense patience and precision.
The Predictable Pattern of Supporting Promising Science
Dr. Dickson’s research centers on developing new, smart treatments designed to interrupt the specific pathways that tell tumors to grow. Much of his work focuses on rare fatty tumors called liposarcomas and other underserved, hard-to-treat variations of the disease.
This evolution from early research concepts to global clinical milestones underscores the long-term value of Conquer Cancer's peer-review model, which focuses rigorously on evaluating the scientific potential of early-career proposals.
Recognizing exceptional, out-of-the-box scientific thinking early, Conquer Cancer sequentially backed Dr. Dickson's research concepts at two pivotal career stages: awarding him a Young Investigator Award (YIA) in 2009, followed by a Career Development Award (CDA) in 2011.
Remarkably, that 2011 award was granted to support his proposal for the very first early-phase clinical trial targeting a specific growth gene in liposarcoma. This consecutive early-career funding provided him with the critical runway, mentorship, and security needed to stay in academic research, deepen his scientific inquiries, and establish an independent research program.
From Biology to New Milestones
A key focus of Dr. Dickson’s ongoing work has been dedifferentiated liposarcoma, an aggressive cancer that can develop when a slower-growing tumor transforms into a fast-growing, dangerous mass.
“Dedifferentiated liposarcoma is usually treated with surgery, but when it comes back, it is difficult to treat and often incurable,” Dr. Dickson explains. “Chemotherapy has been the standard for decades, but the benefit is modest, delaying progression for two to three months. However, we know from tumor biology that almost all cases of the disease are driven by a single gene that acts like a stuck accelerator, telling the cancer to grow.”
To resolve this, Dr. Dickson and his colleagues completed a major Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating an oral drug called abemaciclib, which effectively acts as a brake to shut down that specific genetic accelerator.
Stepping onto the global stage at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting Plenary Session, Dr. Dickson shared the highly anticipated results: the trial revealed that the treatment with this targeted drug delayed tumor growth five times longer than a placebo, and in some cases, caused the tumors to shrink.
By targeting the problem at its genetic source, the treatment cuts off the vital fuel supply driving these aggressive masses. For a rare disease where progress has historically been measured in small steps, presenting these landmark findings at oncology’s most prestigious platform represents profound momentum. It demonstrates how an early research concept funded by Conquer Cancer can mature over 15 years into field-changing, global breakthroughs.
Progress with Perspective
Despite these vital advances, Dr. Dickson maintains a careful balance between urgency and patience.
“We are making progress, and new treatments are coming along. So many that are available today weren’t 10 years ago,” he says. “We’re cautiously optimistic that we’ll find better options for patients, understanding that it’s still a long road ahead.”
Sustaining that progress in rare diseases requires a selection model that systematically identifies and funds promising scientific proposals at the very beginning. Having Conquer Cancer grant alumni deliver major clinical milestones on the global stage is not a coincidence or luck; it is the logical result of backing high-potential researchers and science from day one.
By prioritizing the most promising scientific proposals early on, Conquer Cancer predictably accelerates the discoveries that change the future of medicine and offer patients a path toward personalized care.
Your support provides the critical funding needed to identify and back high-potential scientific ideas—turning rare genetic mysteries into lifesaving realities for patients. Donate today.
Source:
1National Cancer Institute: https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/pancreas.html
Last Updated: 5/31/26