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Sarcoma is a type of cancer that usually develops in the bone and/or in soft tissue. However, there are around 100 different subtypes of Sarcoma (which can all be grouped into the main types; bone or soft tissue).

Synovial Sarcoma is just one of the many subtypes and is one of the rarest, with only an average of 79 cases diagnosed every year in England (making up 2% of all soft tissue sarcomas, and approx 0.03% of all cancers). Due to their rarity, very little is known about Sarcoma’s compared to other cancers.

As a family we are taking part in the Run Wigan Festival on Sunday 17th March in memory of Phil Highton. Jon is running the Wigan Half Marathon in memory of his Father in Law, with the rest of the family (Kylie, Sandra, Craig, Zannah, Isabelle, Amelie, Jacob and Millie) doing the Wigan Family Mile in memory of their Dad, Husband, Father in Law and Grandad to support Sarcoma UK with raising funds and raising awareness of this forgotten cancer. 

This is a national charity that funds vital research, offers support for anyone affected by Sarcoma cancer and campaigns for better treatments. Sarcoma UK is the only UK charity to invest in research, information and support for all types of sarcoma cancer.

By supporting us, we can help change this. Your donation will help researchers find answers, keep their Support Line open, and raise awareness to improve the treatment of Sarcoma and standards of care.

Every donation, no matter how small is so gratefully received and can hopefully help save others from the pain we're experiencing today. Thankyou so much for your support.

Phil’s story -

After several months of various symptoms (coughing up blood, chest pains and breathlessness) and spending Christmas 2022 in hospital, Phil was finally diagnosed in February with a 9.1cm Synovial Sarcoma of the lung; a very rare tumour accounting for only 0.5% of all primary lung malignancy. A difficult cancer to diagnose and one of the hardest to treat. Phil underwent intensive chemotherapy as an inpatient at Christie’s for several months, where he became known as Mr Positivity. Following the chemotherapy’s modest response and no further option to continue with that treatment, the only option was surgical treatment, which carried a 20% mortality risk and had been ruled out initially on diagnosis due to the tumour being too close to the heart.

Focused on getting better with his positive outlook, Phil made the brave decision to proceed with major surgery in September. This involved removing the lung and manipulating the heart to remove the tumour. Phil’s surgery consisted of some complicated procedures that had never been done before due to the rarity of the tumour going into the mitral valve, into a ventricle and also being attached around the aorta but was documented and will most likely form future research.

Phil was nothing short of inspiring as he faced many challenges throughout his treatment and surgeries, including several cardiac arrests, just weeks after his surgery (which resulted in resuscitation and an ICD pacemaker fitted). Phil being Phil took everything in his stride, tackling every hurdle put in front of him with nothing but courage, bravery, relentless positivity and of course, his well-known humour. At the beginning of December, we received the devastating news that the cancer had spread to four other parts of his body and sadly, on 16th December 2023, his journey came to an end at the age of 57.