Type of Sarcoma: Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma – ARMS
Date of Diagnosis: 2020
Location: Gluteus
Vice Media documentary on Kasey.
Only six weeks after finishing 10 months of heavy chemo and radiation treatment, Kasey had a recurrence of her pediatric cancer (Stage 4 Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma or ARMS). This rare, aggressive soft tissue sarcoma, returned to her primary gluteal site along with a small nodule in her lung. Since only ~300 cases per year are diagnosed in the United States, there is very little funding for ARMS and sarcomas in general. Only 4% of all NIH funding goes toward pediatric cancers. If cumulative lifetime years lost were used as the metric, the percentage would skyrocket. Kasey passed away on July 4, 2022 at the age of 26.
Good news: there are scientists working on proposals to target ARMS and other sarcomas. Kasey and her family partnered with Rein in Sarcoma to find a cure for all sarcomas. We have established the “Kasey Altman Research Fund,” with 100% of the proceeds going directly to ARMS research.
