Sarcoma Expert Joins Cleveland Clinic in Florida, Expanding Research and Multidisciplinary Care

The addition of radiation oncologist Manpreet (Meena) Bedi, MD, MS, to Cleveland Clinic in Florida brings nationally recognized expertise in sarcoma and metastatic bone disease to one of the region's leading multidisciplinary sarcoma programs.

Dr. Bedi recently joined Cleveland Clinic as Division Chair of Radiation Oncology for Florida and is working alongside cancer specialists across the five-hospital regional health system. Her arrival adds significant research, clinical, and leadership experience to a sarcoma program that has grown under the direction of orthopaedic oncologist Jorge Manrique-Succar, MD.

"My goal is to add value to a sarcoma program that has earned a reputation for providing collaborative, individualized care," states Dr. Bedi.

Building on an established program

Sarcomas account for approximately 1% of new cancer diagnoses in the United States, making expertise in their diagnosis and treatment concentrated at relatively few centers nationwide.

Dr. Manrique-Succar serves as Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Sarcoma Program in Florida, leading a multidisciplinary team that includes orthopedic and general surgeons, medical oncologists, musculoskeletal radiologists, plastic surgeons, pathologists, and radiation oncologists.

"Our specialists work closely, often seeing patients together," he explains. “We also conduct weekly tumor boards to review imaging, pathology and collaborate on treatment planning.”

The Florida team coordinates care across the region, from Weston to Vero Beach, while leveraging the multidisciplinary expertise of colleagues in Ohio. The Sarcoma Program based at Cleveland Clinic's main campus in Cleveland is one of the largest in the United States and is a designated SARC Core Center.

"We treat patients at an enterprise level, bringing the full range of expertise to each patient," adds Dr. Manrique-Succar, noting all pathology specimens are reviewed by highly experienced musculoskeletal pathologists in Cleveland.

A career focused on sarcoma

Dr. Bedi arrives with a longstanding commitment to sarcoma care and research. Previously Vice Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, she also served as chair of the MCW Cancer Center Sarcoma Program for nearly a decade and as Bone Metastasis Program Leader.

"I attended my first sarcoma tumor board as a resident, and the passion that everyone had for the patients amazed me; I gravitated towards it," she recalls. "As time went on, I got more integrated within the sarcoma team, and we were able to publish a lot of research, and that snowballed after I became an attending."

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Bedi has held several leadership positions and committee appointments, including with the American Board of Radiology, the American College of Radiology, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and the Connective Tissue Oncology Society.

Among her most influential contributions to the field was serving on ASTRO's Sarcoma Consensus Guidelines Committee, which issued evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for adult soft tissue sarcoma in 2021.

Dr. Bedi also has been active in sarcoma advocacy and research fundraising. While in Milwaukee, she co-founded Stronger Than Sarcoma, a not-for-profit that has raised more than $1 million for sarcoma research.

Research in hypofractionated radiation therapy

A major focus of Dr. Bedi's research has been evaluating hypofractionated radiation therapy for patients with sarcoma.

Conventional preoperative radiation typically involves five weeks of daily treatment followed by a four-week waiting period before surgery. "Patients hate the idea of delaying surgery," she observes.

Dr. Bedi questioned whether larger radiation doses delivered over a shorter period could produce similar results – a concept supported by radiobiologic characteristics of sarcoma – while reducing the burden on patients.

In a prospective phase II trial, she found that a condensed course of preoperative hypofractionated radiation therapy can achieve excellent rates of local control and survival with acceptable toxicity profiles. “It also has the potential to lessen the financial burden associated with prolonged treatment schedules,” she notes.

Hypofractionated radiation therapy has since gained increasing acceptance, particularly for appropriately selected patients. The approach is used at Cleveland Clinic's main campus and is now offered in Florida, with treatment duration individualized to patient needs.

While phase II studies have provided valuable prospective data and demonstrated encouraging outcomes, Dr. Bedi acknowledges the challenges in conducting randomized phase III trials in sarcoma because of the rarity of the disease and patient preferences.

Looking ahead, Dr. Bedi and Dr. Manrique-Succar have plans for a multicenter phase II study involving Cleveland Clinic sites in Florida and Ohio that would combine hypofractionated radiation therapy with immunotherapy.

“We know hypofractionated radiation can upregulate certain receptors, so it might be advantageous to add immunotherapy," Dr. Bedi hypothesizes.

Expanding research opportunities

Dr. Bedi’s addition further strengthens Cleveland Clinic growing sarcoma research portfolio in Florida.

Dr. Manrique-Succar currently leads collaborative precision medicine studies with Florida International University's Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work that use drug sensitivity testing and genomic profiling to guide treatment decisions for patients with sarcoma and other difficult-to-treat cancers.

"We completed patient enrollment for our sarcoma-specific study and a broader study for relapsed and refractory cancers," says Dr. Manrique-Succar. "We’re now following these patients and monitoring their chemotherapy response."

The program also participates in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Musculoskeletal Tumor Registry, which collects longitudinal outcomes data on bone and soft tissue tumors to support future research and clinical advances.

Dr. Bedi sees additional opportunities to expand research collaborations through partnerships with other industry and academic organizations. "Rare cancers require collaboration," she says, emphasizing the potential to leverage Cleveland Clinic's enterprise-wide expertise and reputation to advance care for patients with sarcoma.

Extending expertise beyond sarcoma

In addition to her sarcoma expertise, Dr. Bedi brings extensive experience in the management of metastatic bone disease, an area of increasing importance as advances in cancer treatment allow patients to live longer.

"It is estimated that 70% of patients treated for cancer will eventually require care for diseases that affect the skeletal system," says Dr. Bedi.

As Bone Metastasis Program Leader at the MCW Cancer Center, she worked to streamline care pathways and reduce time-to-treatment for patients with skeletal complications of cancer.

According to Dr. Manrique-Succar, close coordination among orthopaedic surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, musculoskeletal radiologists, plastic surgeons and other subspecialties is essential for preventing pathologic fractures and ensuring timely intervention. He credits Cleveland Clinic’s collaborative approach, in part, for the high patient satisfaction scores and reviews the team consistently receives.

With the addition of Dr. Bedi, Cleveland Clinic in Florida aims to build on that foundation while expanding access to specialized sarcoma care, innovative radiation therapy approaches, and collaborative research opportunities throughout southeast Florida.