High-dose chemotherapy consolidation for chemosensitive advanced soft tissue sarcoma patients: an open-label, randomized controlled trial

Patient-reported outcomes in randomized clinical trials of systemic therapy for advanced soft tissue sarcomas in adults: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

This systematic review evaluates reporting of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) within randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients.

METHODS

A systematic literature search from January 2000 - August 2022 was conducted for phase II/III RCTs evaluating systemic treatments in adult patients with advanced STS. Quality of PRO reporting was assessed using the CONSORT PRO extension.

RESULTS

Out of 7294 abstracts, 59 articles were included; comprising 43 RCTs. Only 15 RCTs (35%) included PROs, none as primary endpoints. Only 10 of these RCTs reported PROs, either in the primary (6/10) or secondary publication (1/10) or in both (3/10), with a median time interval of 23 months. The median CONSORT PRO adherence score was 5.5/14, with higher scores in publications focusing exclusively on PROs.

CONCLUSION

These results highlight the need for improved and more consistent PRO reporting to inform patient care in the setting of advanced STS.

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in adult soft-tissue sarcoma: an analysis from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation

BACKGROUND

The role of high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in the treatment of soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) remains an unsettled issue. Prospective clinical trials failed to prove a benefit of the procedure but were limited by small and heterogeneous patient cohorts. Thus, it is unknown if ASCT may be a valuable treatment option in specific patient subgroups.

METHODS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of ASCT according to histological subtype in STS patients who were registered in the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation database between 1996 and 2016.

RESULTS

Median progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in the entire cohort of 338 patients were 8.3 and 19.8 months, respectively, and PFS and OS at 5 years were 13% and 25%, respectively. Analysis of outcomes in different subgroups showed that younger age, better remission status before transplantation and melphalan-based preparative regimen were predictive of benefit from ASCT, whereas histology and grading had no statistically significant impact.

CONCLUSIONS

Outcomes after ASCT compared favorably to those of recent trials on conventional chemotherapies and targeted therapies in STS, including histology-tailored approaches. ASCT, thus, should be reinvestigated in clinical trials focusing on defined patient subgroups.

Very long-term survivors among patients with metastatic soft tissue sarcoma

BACKGROUND

Metastatic soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a group of rare and heterogeneous mesenchymal tumors with a poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of long-term survivors and describe their presentation and management in a large cohort of patients with metastatic STS.

METHODS

We collected information of patients with metastatic STS managed in Centre Leon Berard between 1985 and 2015 aiming to compare the group of patients alive 5 years after the diagnosis of metastases vs the others. Prognostic factors of patients and tumors characteristics were investigated by logistic regression analysis. For "long-term survivors," we explored therapeutic strategies at metastatic stage.

RESULTS

Out of 436 patients enrolled, 39 (9%) were still alive 5 years after diagnostic of metastases with a median survival of 146 months (12 years). This "long-term survivors" group included more female and younger patients, with better performance status, more synovial sarcoma or endometrial stromal sarcoma, more patients with simple genomic sarcomas, lower tumor grade, smaller tumor, and longer disease-free interval. In multivariate analysis, age below 55 at metastatic stage (P = 0.0002) and grade 1 tumor (P < 0.0001) were significantly associated with the "long-term survivors." Their therapeutic management was usually aggressive (intensified or polychemotherapy, repeated local treatment of metastases), leading to 62% of complete response in first-line setting.

CONCLUSIONS

Very long-term survivors are observed in metastatic STS. Selection of patients in good condition with less aggressive tumor and administration of intensive treatment may lead to obtain these motivating results in a poor prognosis disease.

Surrogate endpoints in advanced sarcoma trials: a meta-analysis

Background

Alternative endpoints to overall survival (OS) are frequently used to assess treatment efficacy in randomized controlled trials (RCT). Their properties in terms of surrogate outcomes for OS need to be assessed. We evaluated the surrogate properties of progression-free survival (PFS), time-to-progression (TTP) and time-to-treatment failure (TTF) in advanced soft tissue sarcomas (STS).

Results

A total of 21 trials originally met the selection criteria and 14 RCTs (N = 2846) were included in the analysis. Individual-level associations were moderate (highest for 12-month PFS: Spearman’s rho = 0.66; 95% CI [0.63; 0.68]). Trial-level associations were ranked as low for the three endpoints as per the IQWiG criterion.

Materials and Methods

We performed a meta-analysis using individual-patient data (IPD). Phase II/III RCTs evaluating therapies for adults with advanced STS were eligible. We estimated the individual- and the trial-level associations between then candidate surrogates and OS. Statistical methods included weighted linear regression and the two-stage model introduced by Buyse and Burzykowski. The strength of the trial-level association was ranked according to the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) guidelines.

Conclusions

Our results do not support strong surrogate properties of PFS, TTP and TTF for OS in advanced STS.

Intensive fibrosarcoma-binding capability of the reconstituted analog and its antitumor activity

Fibrosarcomas are highly aggressive malignant tumors. It is urgently needed to explore targeted drugs and modalities for more effective therapy. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in tumor progression and metastasis, while several MMPs are highly expressed in fibrosarcomas. In addition, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP2) displays specific interaction with MMPs. Therefore, TIMP2 may play an active role in the development of fibrosarcoma-targeting agents. In the current study, a TIMP2-based recombinant protein LT and its enediyne-integrated analog LTE were prepared; furthermore, the fibrosarcoma-binding intensity and antitumor activity were investigated. As shown, intense and selective binding capability of the protein LT to human fibrosarcoma specimens was confirmed by tissue microarray. Moreover, LTE, the enediyne-integrated analog of LT, exerted highly potent cytotoxicity to fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells, induced apoptosis, and caused G2/M arrest. LTE at 0.1 nM markedly suppressed the migration and invasion of HT1080 cells. LTE at tolerated dose of 0.6 mg/kg inhibited the tumor growth of fibrosarcoma xenograft in athymic mice. The study provides evidence that the TIMP2-based reconstituted analog LTE may be useful as a targeted drug for fibrosarcome therapy.

High-Dose Chemotherapy with Stem Cell Rescue in Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor: A Single-Institution Experience and Review of the Literature

Purpose

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare cancer that predominantly affects males averaging 21 years of age at the time of diagnosis. We describe four cases from our institution and place them within the context of a comprehensive review of the literature.

Patients and Methods

Study population included any patient who received treatment at Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) with histologic diagnosis of DSRCT. A search of the electronic databases PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and EMBASE for the terms “desmoplastic” AND “small” AND “round” AND “cell” AND “tumor” was performed.

Results

One CHAM patient died of disease at 39 months, one patient has relapsed disease at 40 months, and two patients have no evidence of disease at 60 and 91 months. In the literature review, the 3-year OS was 36% and 5-year OS was 13%. There was a statistically significant difference in OS between no transplant and SCT in remission (p=0.004); however, there was no difference between no transplant and SCT not in remission (p=0.23).

Conclusion

Given the poor prognosis in DSRCT, this study supports further prospective research into the possible benefit of consolidation of autologous SCT in patients with DSRCT who are in remission, with the alternative inference that these patients in remission may fare well without SCT. Our retrospective review of the literature does not support SCT for patients who are not in remission.

Cost-Effectiveness of Olaratumab in Combination with Doxorubicin for Patients with Soft Tissue Sarcoma in the United States

BACKGROUND

Standard first-line treatments for advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) have changed little for 40 years, and outcomes have been poor. Recently, the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration conditionally approved olaratumab in combination with doxorubicin (Olara + Dox) based on a randomized phase II trial that reported a significant 11.8-month improvement in median survival versus single-agent doxorubicin (Dox). The present study investigated the cost-effectiveness of Olara + Dox compared with Dox and five other standard-of-care regimens from the US payer perspective.

METHODS

An economic model was constructed to estimate costs and outcomes over patients' lifetimes from start of therapy. Progression-free and overall survival were based on survival analysis of patient-level data and a meta-analysis. Adverse-event rates were based on trials. Costs were from published sources.

RESULTS

Olara + Dox resulted in an estimated additional 1.27 life-years (LYs) compared with Dox, with an increase in total expected lifetime costs of $133,653. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was estimated at $105,408 per LY gained; in a fully incremental analysis, all other regimens were dominated (higher costs and lower LYs or a higher ICER).

CONCLUSION

Olara + Dox is cost-effective for STS treatment compared with Dox and other standard-of-care regimens at willingness-to-pay thresholds of $150,000 per LY and above.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation following high-dose chemotherapy for nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas

BACKGROUND

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a highly heterogeneous group of rare malignant solid tumors. Nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS) comprise all STS except rhabdomyosarcoma. In people with advanced local or metastatic disease, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) applied after high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) is a planned rescue therapy for HDCT-related severe hematologic toxicity. The rationale for this update is to determine whether any randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted and to clarify whether HDCT followed by autologous HSCT has a survival advantage.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the efficacy and safety of high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for all stages of nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS) in children and adults.

SEARCH METHODS

For this update, we revised the search strategy to improve the precision and reduce the number of irrelevant hits. We searched the following electronic databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2016, Issue 8), PubMed from 2012 to 6 September 2016, and Embase from 2012 to 26 September 2016. We searched online trial registries and congress proceedings from 2012 to 26 September 2016.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Terms representing STS and autologous HSCT were required in the title or abstract. We restricted the study design to RCTs. We included studies if at least 80% of participants had a diagnosis listed in any version of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification and classified as malignant. The search included children and adults with no age limits.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard methodologic procedures expected by Cochrane. The primary outcomes were overall survival and treatment-related mortality.

MAIN RESULTS

We identified 1549 records; 85 items from electronic databases, 45 from study registries, and 1419 from congress proceedings. The revised search strategy did not identify any additional RCTs. In the previous version of the review, we identified one RCT comparing HDCT followed by autologous HSCT versus standard-dose chemotherapy (SDCT). The trial randomized 87 participants who were considerably heterogeneous with respect to 19 different tumor entities. The data from 83 participants were available for analysis.In the single included trial, overall survival at three years was 32.7% in the HDCT arm versus 49.4% in the SDCT arm and there was no difference between the treatment groups (hazard ratio (HR) 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70 to 2.29, P = 0.44; 1 study, 83 participants; high quality evidence). In a subgroup of participants who had a complete response before HDCT, overall survival was higher in both treatment groups and overall survival at three years was 42.8% in the HDCT arm versus 83.9% in the SDCT arm and favored the SDCT group (HR 2.92, 95% CI 1.1 to 7.6, P = 0.028; 1 study, 39 participants).In the single included trial, the authors reported one treatment-related leukemia death two years after HDCT. They also evaluated severe adverse events WHO grade 3 to 4 in 22 participants in the HDCT arm and in 51 participants in the SDCT arm. The authors reported 11 events concerning digestive-, infection-, pain-, or asthenia-related toxicity in the HDCT arm and one event in the SDCT arm (moderate quality evidence). The development of secondary neoplasia was not addressed. We judged the study to have an overall unclear risk of bias as three of seven items had unclear and four items had low risk of bias. For GRADE, we judged three items as high quality and three items were not reported.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The limited data of a single RCT with an unclear risk of bias and moderate to high quality evidence showed no survival advantage for HDCT. If this treatment is offered it should only be given after careful consideration on an individual person basis and possibly only as part of a well-designed RCT.

[Which recent results in Oncology and Hematology will have an impact on our practices? The point of vue of Bulletin du Cancer editorial board]

Among the results presented at international congresses or published in scientific journals, which are those that have a real impact on daily practice? Every year, the editorial board of the Bulletin du Cancer proposes a selection of key data in oncology and hematology. The objective is to discuss results that change or reinforce the strategies in 2016 but also identify key information for our reflections in 2017.

Olaratumab and doxorubicin versus doxorubicin alone for treatment of soft-tissue sarcoma: an open-label phase 1b and randomised phase 2 trial

BACKGROUND

Treatment with doxorubicin is a present standard of care for patients with metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma and median overall survival for those treated is 12-16 months, but few, if any, novel treatments or chemotherapy combinations have been able to improve these poor outcomes. Olaratumab is a human antiplatelet-derived growth factor receptor α monoclonal antibody that has antitumour activity in human sarcoma xenografts. We aimed to assess the efficacy of olaratumab plus doxorubicin in patients with advanced or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma.

METHODS

We did an open-label phase 1b and randomised phase 2 study of doxorubicin plus olaratumab treatment in patients with unresectable or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma at 16 clinical sites in the USA. For both the phase 1b and phase 2 parts of the study, eligible patients were aged 18 years or older and had a histologically confirmed diagnosis of locally advanced or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma not previously treated with an anthracycline, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-2, and available tumour tissue to determine PDGFRα expression by immunohistochemistry. In the phase 2 part of the study, patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either olaratumab (15 mg/kg) intravenously on day 1 and day 8 plus doxorubicin (75 mg/m(2)) or doxorubicin alone (75 mg/m(2)) on day 1 of each 21-day cycle for up to eight cycles. Randomisation was dynamic and used the minimisation randomisation technique. The phase 1b primary endpoint was safety and the phase 2 primary endpoint was progression-free survival using a two-sided α level of 0.2 and statistical power of 0.8. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01185964.

FINDINGS

15 patients were enrolled and treated with olaratumab plus doxorubicin in the phase 1b study, and 133 patients were randomised (66 to olaratumab plus doxorubicin; 67 to doxorubicin alone) in the phase 2 trial, 129 (97%) of whom received at least one dose of study treatment (64 received olaratumab plus doxorubicin, 65 received doxorubicin). Median progression-free survival in phase 2 was 6.6 months (95% CI 4.1-8.3) with olaratumab plus doxorubicin and 4.1 months (2.8-5.4) with doxorubicin (stratified hazard ratio [HR] 0.67; 0.44-1.02, p=0.0615). Median overall survival was 26.5 months (20.9-31.7) with olaratumab plus doxorubicin and 14.7 months (9.2-17.1) with doxorubicin (stratified HR 0.46, 0.30-0.71, p=0.0003). The objective response rate was 18.2% (9.8-29.6) with olaratumab plus doxorubicin and 11.9% (5.3-22.2) with doxorubicin (p=0.3421). Steady state olaratumab serum concentrations were reached during cycle 3 with mean maximum and trough concentrations ranging from 419 μg/mL (geometric coefficient of variation in percentage [CV%] 26.2) to 487 μg/mL (CV% 33.0) and from 123 μg/mL (CV% 31.2) to 156 μg/mL (CV% 38.0), respectively. Adverse events that were more frequent with olaratumab plus doxorubicin versus doxorubicin alone included neutropenia (37 [58%] vs 23 [35%]), mucositis (34 [53%] vs 23 [35%]), nausea (47 [73%] vs 34 [52%]), vomiting (29 [45%] vs 12 [18%]), and diarrhoea (22 [34%] vs 15 [23%]). Febrile neutropenia of grade 3 or higher was similar in both groups (olaratumab plus doxorubicin: eight [13%] of 64 patients vs doxorubicin: nine [14%] of 65 patients).

INTERPRETATION

This study of olaratumab with doxorubicin in patients with advanced soft-tissue sarcoma met its predefined primary endpoint for progression-free survival and achieved a highly significant improvement of 11.8 months in median overall survival, suggesting a potential shift in the treatment of soft-tissue sarcoma.

FUNDING

Eli Lilly and Company.

A Systematic Literature Review of Adverse Events Associated with Systemic Treatments Used in Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma

This systematic literature review describes adverse events (AEs) among patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) who received second-line or later anticancer therapies. Searches were conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for studies of adults with advanced or metastatic STS who received systemic anticancer therapy before enrollment in a randomized-controlled trial of pazopanib, another targeted cancer agent, or cytotoxic chemotherapy. Of 204 publications identified, seven articles representing six unique studies met inclusion criteria. Additional safety results for pazopanib were identified on ClinicalTrials.gov. Hematologic toxicities were common with all therapies evaluated (pazopanib, trabectedin, dacarbazine ± gemcitabine, gemcitabine ± docetaxel, cyclophosphamide, and ifosfamide). Studies differed in AE type, timing of assessment, and outcomes reported, although patient populations and AE assessment timing were relatively similar for pazopanib and trabectedin. AEs that were more common with trabectedin than pazopanib were anemia, neutropenia, nausea/vomiting, and elevations in aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase. An AE that was more common with pazopanib than trabectedin was anorexia. Only the pazopanib study reported AE frequencies versus placebo. A planned meta-analysis was not feasible, as there was no common comparator. More well-designed studies that include common comparators are needed for comparison of safety effects among treatments for STS.

An unresectable retroperitoneal malignant fibrous histiocytoma: A case report

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) is most commonly observed in the extremities and the trunk but rarely in retroperitoneum. The present case report documents a 64-year-old man who was admitted with an abdominal palpable mass for 6 months. After a thorough investigation, a tumor of the retroperitoneum was identified adhered to adjacent organs and vessels. The patient experienced mild hydronephrosis and hydroureter as a result of the tumor compression. A number of previous surgeons considered the tumor unresectable and suggested palliative treatment. En bloc resection of the tumor was attempted but incomplete surgery was performed initially as the tumor was friable and prone to bleeding. Therefore, a biopsy of the tumor was performed and a double J ureteral stent was set for hydronephrosis. Histopathological examination confirmed the tumor was an MFH. The patient received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy with 4 cycles of mesna, doxorubicin, ifosfamide, and dacarbazine (MAID). A computed tomography scan demonstrated that the tumor had reduced in size following chemotherapy. En bloc resection of the tumor was arranged again 6 months later. The tumor exhibited a complete response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy after the formal pathological evaluation. The patient survives without tumor recurrence >5 years without recurrence.

High dose chemotherapy with stem cell support in the treatment of testicular cancer

Testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) is rare form of malignant disease that occurs mostly in young man between age 15 and 40. The worldwide incidence of TGCC is 1.5 per 100000 man with the highest rates in North Europe. After discovery of cisplatin cure rates of TGCC are very favorable between 90%-95% and unlike most solid tumors, cure rate for metastatic TGCC is around 80%. Metastatic TGCC is usually treated with 3-4 cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatinum chemotherapy with or without retroperitoneal surgery and cure rates with this approach are between 41% in poor risk group and 92% in good risk group of patients. Cure rates are lower in relapsed and refractory patients and many of them will die from the disease if not cured with first line chemotherapy. High dose chemotherapy (HDCT) approach was used for the first time during the 1980s. Progress in hematology allowed the possibility to keep autologous haematopoietic stem cells alive ex-vivo at very low temperatures and use them to repopulate the bone marrow after sub-lethal dose of intesive myeloablative chemotherapy. Despite the fact that there is no positive randomized study to prove HDCT concept, cure rates in relapsed TGCC are higher after high dose therapy then in historical controls in studies with conventional treatment. Here we review clinical studies in HDCT for TGCC, possibilities of mobilising sufficient number of stem cells and future directions in the treatment of this disease.

Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation following high-dose chemotherapy for non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas: a Cochrane systematic review*

OBJECTIVES

We conducted a systematic review to compare the efficacy and adverse events of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) following high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) versus standard-dose chemotherapy (SDCT) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS).

SETTING

Patients were observed in hospital units specialised for cancer therapy.

PARTICIPANTS

The review evaluated 294 patients with 19 different subtypes of malignant NRSTS. The patients had a median age between 10 and 46 years (range 2-65) and were mostly men.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURE

The planned and measured primary outcomes were overall survival and treatment-related mortality. The planned and measured secondary outcomes were progression-free survival, grade 3-4 non-haematological toxicity and secondary neoplasia. Other secondary outcomes including disease-free survival, event-free survival and health-related quality of life were not reported.

RESULTS

We included 62 studies reporting on 294 transplanted patients. We identified 1 randomised controlled trial (RCT) with 38 transplanted and 45 non-transplanted patients and judged a low risk of bias. We further identified 61 single-arm studies with 256 transplanted patients. Overall survival in the RCT was reported not statistically significantly different between autologous HSCT following HDCT versus SDCT. The HR was 1.26 (95% CI 0.70 to 2.29; p=0.44) and the point estimates at 3 years were 32.7% vs 49.4%. Data from single-arm studies were used to extract data on adverse events. Treatment-related mortality was reported in 5.1% (15 of 294) transplanted patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall survival in patients with locally advanced or metastatic NRSTS was not statistically different after autologous HSCT following HDCT compared with SDCT in a single RCT with a total of 83 patients. No other comparative study was available. The proportion of adverse events among the transplanted patients is not clear.

Systemic treatment of soft-tissue sarcoma-gold standard and novel therapies

Soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) is a rare and heterogeneous group of tumours that comprise approximately 1% of all adult cancers, and encompass over 50 different subtypes. These tumours exhibit a wide range of differing behaviours and underlying molecular pathologies, and can arise anywhere in the body. Surgical resection is critical to the management of locoregional disease. In the locally advanced or metastatic disease settings, systemic therapy has an important role in the multidisciplinary management of sarcoma. Cytotoxic therapy that usually consists of doxorubicin and ifosfamide has been the mainstay of treatment for many years. However recent advances in molecular pathogenesis, the development of novel targeted therapies, changes in clinical trial design and increased international collaboration have led to the development of histology-driven therapy. Furthermore, genomic profiling has highlighted that some STS are driven by translocation, mutation or amplification and others have more complex and chaotic karyotypes. In this Review, we aim to describe the current gold standard treatment for specific STS subtypes as well as outline future promising therapies in the pipeline.

Doxorubicin alone versus intensified doxorubicin plus ifosfamide for first-line treatment of advanced or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma: a randomised controlled phase 3 trial

BACKGROUND

Effective targeted treatment is unavailable for most sarcomas and doxorubicin and ifosfamide-which have been used to treat soft-tissue sarcoma for more than 30 years-still have an important role. Whether doxorubicin alone or the combination of doxorubicin and ifosfamide should be used routinely is still controversial. We assessed whether dose intensification of doxorubicin with ifosfamide improves survival of patients with advanced soft-tissue sarcoma compared with doxorubicin alone.

METHODS

We did this phase 3 randomised controlled trial (EORTC 62012) at 38 hospitals in ten countries. We included patients with locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic high-grade soft-tissue sarcoma, age 18-60 years with a WHO performance status of 0 or 1. They were randomly assigned (1:1) by the minimisation method to either doxorubicin (75 mg/m(2) by intravenous bolus on day 1 or 72 h continuous intravenous infusion) or intensified doxorubicin (75 mg/m(2); 25 mg/m(2) per day, days 1-3) plus ifosfamide (10 g/m(2) over 4 days with mesna and pegfilgrastim) as first-line treatment. Randomisation was stratified by centre, performance status (0 vs 1), age (<50 vs ≥50 years), presence of liver metastases, and histopathological grade (2 vs 3). Patients were treated every 3 weeks till progression or unacceptable toxic effects for up to six cycles. The primary endpoint was overall survival in the intention-to-treat population. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00061984.

FINDINGS

Between April 30, 2003, and May 25, 2010, 228 patients were randomly assigned to receive doxorubicin and 227 to receive doxorubicin and ifosfamide. Median follow-up was 56 months (IQR 31-77) in the doxorubicin only group and 59 months (36-72) in the combination group. There was no significant difference in overall survival between groups (median overall survival 12·8 months [95·5% CI 10·5-14·3] in the doxorubicin group vs 14·3 months [12·5-16·5] in the doxorubicin and ifosfamide group; hazard ratio [HR] 0·83 [95·5% CI 0·67-1·03]; stratified log-rank test p=0·076). Median progression-free survival was significantly higher for the doxorubicin and ifosfamide group (7·4 months [95% CI 6·6-8·3]) than for the doxorubicin group (4·6 months [2·9-5·6]; HR 0·74 [95% CI 0·60-0·90], stratified log-rank test p=0·003). More patients in the doxorubicin and ifosfamide group than in the doxorubicin group had an overall response (60 [26%] of 227 patients vs 31 [14%] of 228; p<0·0006). The most common grade 3 and 4 toxic effects-which were all more common with doxorubicin and ifosfamide than with doxorubicin alone-were leucopenia (97 [43%] of 224 patients vs 40 [18%] of 223 patients), neutropenia (93 [42%] vs 83 [37%]), febrile neutropenia (103 (46%) vs 30 [13%]), anaemia (78 [35%] vs 10 [5%]), and thrombocytopenia (75 [33%]) vs one [<1%]).

INTERPRETATION

Our results do not support the use of intensified doxorubicin and ifosfamide for palliation of advanced soft-tissue sarcoma unless the specific goal is tumour shrinkage. These findings should help individualise the care of patients with this disease.

FUNDING

Cancer Research UK, EORTC Charitable Trust, UK NHS, Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute, Amgen.

Prognostic factors in adult soft tissue sarcoma treated with surgery combined with radiotherapy: a retrospective single-center study on 164 patients

The aim of the present study is to assess the disease profile, outcome and prognostic factors in patients treated with surgery combined with radiotherapy (RT), with or without chemotherapy (CXT), for soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) in a multidisciplinary setting. One hundred and sixty-four patients with STS treated between 1980 and 2010 at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois were enrolled in this retrospective study. Seventy-six percent of patients underwent postoperative RT with (24%), or without (52%) CXT, 15% preoperative RT with (5%), or without (10%) CXT, surgery alone (7%), or RT alone (2%) with or without CXT. The median follow-up was 60 months (range 6-292). Local failure was observed in 18%, and distant failure in 21% of the patients. Overall survival (OS), diseasefree survival (DFS), local control (LC) and distant metastases-free survival (DMFS) were 88%, 68%, 83%, and 79% at 5 years, and 80%, 56%, 76%, and 69% at 10 years, respectively. In univariate analyses, favorable prognostic factors for OS, DFS, and DMFS were tumor size 6 cm or less, World Health Organization (WHO)/Zubrod score 0, and stage 2 or less. Age and superficial tumors were favorable only for OS and DMFS respectively. STS involving the extremities had a better outcome regarding DFS and LC. Histological grade 2 or less was favorable for DFS, DMFS, and LC. Radical surgery was associated with better LC and DMFS. RT dose more than 60 Gy was favorable for OS, DFS, and LC. In multivariate analyses, independent factors were age for OS; tumor size for OS, DFS and DMFS; WHO/Zubrod score for OS, DFS and LC; hemoglobin level for DFS; site for DFS and LC; tumor depth for DMFS; histological grade for DFS and LC; surgical procedure for LC and DMFS; and RT dose for OS. This study confirms that in a multidisciplinary setting, STS have a fairly good prognosis. A number of prognostic and predictive factors, including the role of surgery combined with RT, were identified. Regarding RT, a dose of more than 60 Gy was associated with a better outcome, at the price of a higher toxicity. We could not demonstrate a superiority of preoperative RT over postoperative RT.

A non-comparative phase II study of dose intensive chemotherapy with doxorubicin and ifosfamide followed by high dose ICE consolidation with PBSCT in non-resectable, high grade, adult type soft tissue sarcomas

The objective was to determine the role of dose intensive induction chemotherapy in patients with soft tissue sarcomas (STS) that were considered unresectable. Treatment consisted of 2-3 cycles of doxorubicin (Dox) and ifosfamide (Ifo) followed by high dose chemotherapy with ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide (HD-ICE) plus peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). 30 out of 631 consecutive patients, median age 46 years (21-62), with high grade STS were included. 29 patients completed at least 2 cycles of Dox/Ifo. HD-ICE was withheld because of progressive disease (PD) in 5 patients, neurotoxicity in 6 cases, insufficient peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) mobilization, complete remission (CR) and refusal in 1 patient each. HD-ICE was associated with non-haematological grade III toxicity including emesis, mucositis, fever, neurotoxicity, and transaminase level elevation. Two additional patients attained a partial response after HD-ICE. Overall, 24 of 30 (80%) patients underwent surgery, with complete tumor resections in 19 patients (63% of all patients, 79% of the operated subgroup); however, 2 of these required amputation. After a median follow up period of 50 months in surviving patients (range, 26-120), 5-year PFS and OS rates were 39% and 48%, respectively. Induction chemotherapy plus consolidation HD-ICE is generally feasible, but is associated with significant neurotoxicity. The advantage of HD-ICE over conventional dose chemotherapy plus external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in non-resectable disease remains unproven.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation following high dose chemotherapy for non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas

BACKGROUND

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a highly heterogeneous group of rare malignant solid tumors. Non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS) comprise all STS except rhabdomyosarcoma. In patients with advanced local or metastatic disease, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) applied after high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) is a planned rescue therapy for HDCT-related severe hematologic toxicity. The rationale for this update is to determine whether any randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted and to clarify whether HDCT followed by autologous HSCT has a survival advantage.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effectiveness and safety of HDCT followed by autologous HSCT for all stages of non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS) in children and adults.

SEARCH METHODS

For this update we modified the search strategy to improve the precision and reduce the number of irrelevant hits. All studies included in the original review were considered for re-evaluation in the update. We searched the electronic databases CENTRAL (2012, Issue 11) in The Cochrane Library , MEDLINE and EMBASE (05 December 2012) from their inception using the newly developed search strategy. Online trials registers and reference lists of systematic reviews were searched.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Terms representing STS and autologous HSCT were required in the title or abstract. In studies with aggregated data, participants with NRSTS and autologous HSCT had to constitute at least 80% of the data. Single-arm studies were included in addition to studies with a control arm because the number of comparative studies was expected to be very low.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently extracted study data. Some studies identified in the original review were re-examined and found not to meet the inclusion criteria and were excluded in this update. For studies with no comparator group, we synthesized the results for studies reporting aggregate data and conducted a pooled analysis of individual participant data using the Kaplan-Meyer method. The primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and treatment-related mortality (TRM).

MAIN RESULTS

The selection process was carried out from the start of the search dates for the update. We included 57 studies, from 260 full text articles screened, reporting on 275 participants that were allocated to HDCT followed by autologous HSCT. All studies were not comparable due to various subtypes. We identified a single comparative study, an RCT comparing HDCT followed by autologous HSCT versus standard chemotherapy (SDCT). The overall survival (OS) at three years was 32.7% versus 49.4% with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.26 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70 to 2.29, P value 0.44) and thus not significantly different between the treatment groups. In a subgroup of patients that had a complete response before treatment, OS was higher in both treatment groups and OS at three years was 42.8% versus 83.9% with a HR of 2.92 (95% CI 1.1 to 7.6, P value 0.028) and thus was statistically significantly better in the SDCT group. We did not identify any other comparative studies. We included six single-arm studies reporting aggregate data of cases; three reported the OS at two years as 20%, 48%, and 51.4%. One other study reported the OS at three years as 40% and one further study reported a median OS of 13 months (range 3 to 19 months). In two of the single-arm studies with aggregate data, subgroup analysis showed a better OS in patients with versus without a complete response before treatment. In a survival analysis of pooled individual data of 80 participants, OS at two years was estimated as 50.6% (95% CI 38.7 to 62.5) and at three years as 36.7% (95% CI 24.4 to 49.0). Data on TRM, secondary neoplasia and severe toxicity grade 3 to 4 after transplantation were sparse. The one included RCT had a low risk of bias and the remaining 56 studies had a high risk of bias.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

A single RCT with a low risk of bias shows that OS after HDCT followed by autologous HSCT is not statistically significantly different from standard-dose chemotherapy. Therefore, HDCT followed by autologous HSCT for patients with NRSTS may not improve the survival of patients and should only be used within controlled trials if ever considered.