Specialist Information
Sarcoma is rare and complex, and the evidence is consistent: outcomes are better when patients are diagnosed, planned and treated by specialist teams who see sarcoma regularly. This page sets out how sarcoma care is organised in Ireland and how referrals work.
Where Sarcoma is Treated in Ireland
National Sarcoma Multidisciplinary Team (MDT), St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin – the national referral centre for adults with sarcoma. All adult cases with imaging suggestive of sarcoma should be discussed here.
Satellite MDT, Cork University Hospital – provides specialist sarcoma MDT input in the south of the country.
Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dublin – provides orthopaedic oncology surgery for bone sarcoma.
CHI at Crumlin – the national centre for children and young people with sarcoma.
Patients living in Northern Ireland are treated within the HSC system, with sarcoma services provided through the regional cancer centre at Belfast City Hospital. Our services are open to patients across the whole island.
Referral Pathway
For adults, referrals to the National Sarcoma MDT are made through the online referral form at stvincentssarcomanetworkireland.com. Children should be referred to CHI at Crumlin.
In summary, the recommended pathway is:
- Suspected soft tissue sarcoma — refer for urgent MRI (within two weeks for adults, 48 hours for children).
- Suspected bone sarcoma — refer for urgent X-ray or MRI (within two weeks for adults, 48 hours for children).
- If imaging is suggestive of sarcoma — refer to a sarcoma specialist or to the National Sarcoma MDT at SVUH, or the satellite MDT at CUH. Children to CHI at Crumlin.
- Biopsy should be planned by, or in consultation with, the specialist team.
Red Flags for Referral
Soft tissue sarcoma:
- A lump larger than 5cm, or bigger than a golf ball
- A lump that is increasing in size or changing rapidly
- A lump deep to the fascia, fixed or immobile
- Recurrence after previous excision
Bone sarcoma — unexplained bone pain or tenderness that is:
- Persistent
- Increasing
- Non-mechanical
- Present at night or at rest
Why Early Referral Matters
Delays in diagnosis are common in sarcoma and they have consequences. Each additional centimetre in the size of a primary sarcoma at diagnosis is associated with a three to five per cent fall in survival. At present around 55% of sarcoma patients in Ireland survive beyond five years. Earlier referral is one of the few levers that reliably improves that figure.
Our GP Education Initiative
Most GPs will encounter only one sarcoma patient in an entire career. Working with the sarcoma clinicians at St Vincent’s University Hospital, we developed Diagnosing Sarcoma: A Guide for GPs, a short flyer covering the red flags and the referral pathway. In 2025 it was printed and posted to every GP practice in the Republic of Ireland — more than 1,700 clinics — and articles were published in Forum Journal, which reaches all registered GPs in Ireland.
The flyer is free to download from this website, and printed copies can be posted to any practice, clinic or department in Ireland free of charge. Email info@sarcoma.ie with the address and the number of copies required.
Specialist Contacts
- Referral form and network information: stvincentssarcomanetworkireland.com
- Hazel Murray, Sarcoma ANP, St Vincent’s University Hospital: hmurray@svhg.ie
- Una Hayden, Sarcoma ANP, Tallaght University Hospital: una.hayden@tuh.ie
Clinical Guidelines
- NICE guidance on suspected cancer, sarcoma section: nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12
- ESMO clinical practice guidelines on sarcoma and GIST: esmo.org/guidelines/guidelines-by-topic/sarcoma-and-gist
Working With Us
We work alongside the Irish Sarcoma Group and the national sarcoma teams, and we co-host an annual Patient Information Day with clinicians, therapists and researchers. If you are a healthcare professional who would like to refer a patient to our services, speak at an event, or order copies of the GP flyer, please email info@sarcoma.ie.