FORTRESS is an open forum for basic researchers, clinical scientists, PhD candidates, post docs, laboratory technologists, patient advocates and other interested parties working in the field of sarcoma research.

This meeting is a scientific initiative by the University Hospitals (UZ Leuven) of KU Leuven (Belgium) and the West German Cancer Center, University of Duisburg/Essen (Germany), an annual academic meeting alternating between Leuven and Essen and taking place in two very different, equally spectacular UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The meeting is intended to facilitate active exchange between sarcoma scientists and to lead to interaction and collaborative projects and has a much different scope than established clinical sarcoma meetings.

FORTRESS has an inclusive character, features work in all fields of mesenchymal malignancies, from soft tissue sarcoma (including gastrointestinal stromal tumour) to bone sarcoma, from "paediatric/adolescent" sarcomas to orphan and more common adult entities.