Chemotherapy for soft-tissue sarcomas.
Single-agent and combination chemotherapy have greater than 20% single-agent activity: doxorubicin and ifosfamide. Certain other anthracycline analogues possess similar activity. It remains a question whether combination therapy is any better than single-agent doxorubicin. Randomized trials have demonstrated enhanced response rates and increased toxicity for the combinations, but survival, with limited follow-up data, is not improved. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy also is not yet established. Two of 12 trials demonstrate survival benefits; however, most show a delay in relapse with about a 10% risk of irreversible toxicity. New agents, targets, and methods to circumvent resistance mechanisms developed in the laboratory are necessary to advance the field.
Elias
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Department of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002648:Child; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D015996:Survival Rate