Eribulin in soft-tissue sarcoma

Sarcomas are unusual tumours that can occur at any anatomical site. Although they account for less than 1% of malignant tumours, they can be divided into more than 50 clinically and biologically distinct subtypes. Until recently, all soft-tissue sarcomas were treated the same way, but in the past decade, progress has been made in identifying clinical, histological, and molecular features to guide management. 1 Blay JY Sleijfer S Schöffski P et al. International expert opinion on patient-tailored management of soft tissue sarcomas. Eur J Cancer. 2014; 50: 679-689 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (32) Google Scholar In a randomised open-label phase 3 trial in The Lancet, Patrick Schöffski and colleagues 2 Schöffski P Chawla S Maki RG et al. Eribulin versus dacarbazine in previously treated patients with advanced liposarcoma or leiomyosarcoma: a randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2016; (published online Feb 10.)http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01283-0 PubMed Google Scholar report that eribulin improves overall survival in patients with advanced leiomyosarcoma and liposarcoma. Their report raises several interesting questions. Eribulin versus dacarbazine in previously treated patients with advanced liposarcoma or leiomyosarcoma: a randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 3 trialOverall survival was improved in patients assigned to eribulin compared with those assigned to an active control, suggesting that eribulin could be a treatment option for advanced soft-tissue sarcoma. Full-Text PDF