The Series

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Educational Initiative Overview

The CATCH-TGCT initiative was developed to address the documented knowledge gap among sports medicine clinicians in recognizing and appropriately referring patients with tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT).

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Designed as a progressive, case-based learning experience, the initiative delivers targeted education through a three-episode podcast series, supported by an integrated microsite that provides practical tools, supplementary resources, and outcomes assessment.

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At its core, the series mirrors the real-world diagnostic journey—guiding clinicians from recognition to action through the key inflection points where TGCT is most often missed.

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Podcast Series Design

The CATCH-TGCT series is intentionally structured to reflect how clinicians think in practice:

Why was this missed?
What should I be noticing?
What should I do next?

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Each episode represents a critical moment in the diagnostic pathway, combining expert perspectives from orthopedic oncology, radiology, and medical oncology with real-world clinical narratives.

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Episode 1 — The Diagnostic Challenge

Featured Faculty: Dr. Ryan Freshman, Dr. R. Lor Randall

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TGCT does not present as rare—it presents as familiar.

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This episode explores why TGCT is frequently overlooked in sports medicine despite consistent and recognizable symptoms. Through clinical narratives, faculty examine how TGCT mimics common injuries, how early assumptions shape the diagnostic pathway, and why delays in diagnosis are common.

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The focus is not only on what TGCT is—but why it is missed.

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Episode 2 — Recognition & Differential Diagnosis

Featured Faculty: Dr. Ryan Freshman, Dr. R. Lor Randall, Dr. Janai R. Carr-Ascher

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Recognition rarely happens all at once—it develops over time.

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This episode highlights the clinical inflection points where TGCT begins to distinguish itself from routine injury. Key patterns—persistent symptoms, recurrent effusions, and recovery trajectories that do not align with mechanism of injury—are emphasized.

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A central takeaway emerges:

When duration outweighs mechanism, the diagnosis must be reconsidered.

Clinicians are guided to refine their differential diagnosis and recognize when “something isn’t adding up.”

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Episode 3 — Imaging, Referral, and Next Steps

Featured Faculty: Dr. Janai R. Carr-Ascher, Dr. Cyrus Bateni

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Suspicion alone is not enough—action determines outcome.

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This episode translates recognition into decision-making. Faculty outline appropriate imaging strategies, interpretation of evolving radiologic findings, and when to escalate care through referral to orthopedic oncology and multidisciplinary teams.

The emphasis is clear: imaging findings gain meaning only when interpreted within clinical context and time.

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A Connected Learning Journey

Across the series, a unifying concept emerges:

• TGCT does not disrupt the clinical course immediately

• It reveals itself through persistence, progression, and time

• Earlier recognition does not change the biology—but it changes what is possible

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Each episode builds on the last—transforming TGCT from a missed diagnosis into a recognizable clinical pattern with clear next steps.

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Integrated Microsite & Learning Environment

The podcast series is supported by a dedicated microsite that serves as the central hub for education and evaluation. The platform includes:

• Full podcast episodes

• Supplementary educational materials

• Practical diagnostic tools

• Pre- and post-learning assessments

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This integrated environment reinforces learning, supports application in practice, and enables measurable outcomes.

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Designed for Real-World Practice

The initiative is built to align with real clinical workflows and decision-making processes. By anchoring education to authentic diagnostic challenges, the program supports meaningful behavior change—helping clinicians move from awareness to earlier, more confident action.

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