February 12, 2025
Back on track after a rare cancer diagnosis
After facing sarcoma at age 18, drag-racing champion Cooper Chun needed quick multidisciplinary care to get behind the wheel again.
Cooper Chun, from Vancouver, Washington, was motivated by his love of racing and his collaborative team of cancer specialists to rally for recovery.
For 20-year-old Cooper Chun, drag racing is a central part of life.
Chun is among the third generation of racers in his family. In fact, some might say he was born to race because his mother went into labor with him at a racetrack.
Chun, who lives in Vancouver, Washington, was already a decorated racer by the time he turned 18 and qualified to participate in a national championship race in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2022. But before he got a chance to compete, a cancer diagnosis brought his racing to a halt.
He’d been experiencing severe pain around his hip for a few months. When it got too painful to walk, he went to the emergency room, where an MRI revealed a mass on his pelvis. A biopsy then confirmed he had a very rare form of cancer that can affect the bones or nearby soft tissue.
Chun was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, which mostly affects children and teenagers. In the United States, only about 200 cases are reported among children and adolescents under 20 years old each year.
Getting a cancer diagnosis at such a young age was a shock.
“There were a few days of feeling sad and scared,” said Chun. “But missing out on that race was a big motivator, and I switched into survival mode.”
A dedicated team of specialists
Chun’s competitive spirit and the multidisciplinary care he received at Kaiser Permanente helped him as he began treatment.
Cooper benefited from the dedicated team of cancer specialists who collaborated to create a comprehensive plan for his treatment and recovery.
“We have a dedicated team of surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists who all specialize in treating sarcoma,” said Daniel Da Graca, MD, a medical oncologist in Portland, Oregon, who treated Chun. “Every time there is a new diagnosis, we present that case to the team so we can generate a plan together.”
Most often, treatment for sarcoma includes both surgery and chemotherapy, which is sometimes paired with radiation, according to Dr. Da Graca. However, since Chun’s tumor was directly on the pelvis, surgery was not a good option. So, they decided to treat it aggressively with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.
Oncology nurse case manager Alison Eshleman, RN, was a key part of Chun’s care team. She stayed in close communication with Chun and his mother helping them keep track of appointments and get scheduled for any necessary tests and scans.
After multiple rounds of treatment over the course of several months, an MRI showed that Chun’s tumor had begun to shrink.
Back to the races
Today, Chun is in his second year of college, and routine scans help him and his doctors keep tabs on his tumor. And he’s back to racing, too. After adding another win to his record in St. Louis earlier this year, he’s now in training mode and gearing up for the next racing season.
Chun’s story is a good reminder of the importance of early intervention. Although sarcoma is very rare, it is often treatable, especially if it’s caught early. For that reason, Dr. Da Graca encourages people to see their doctor if they experience persistent pain or swelling in their bones or joints — particularly their arms, legs, or pelvis — that can’t be explained by an injury.
Learn more about cancer care at Kaiser Permanente in the Northwest.
