Int J Clin Oncol. 2005 Dec;10(6):438-40.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=16369750&dopt=Abstract

A new therapeutic approach in patients with advanced sarcoma.

Kasper B, Ho AD, Egerer G.

University of Heidelberg, Department of Internal Medicine V, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Bernd.Kasper@med.uni-heidelberg.de

Sarcomas represent a rare and heterogeneous disease and the prognosis of patients remains poor, with a disease-free survival at 5 years of less than 10%. Only a few chemotherapeutic agents, such as doxorubicin and ifosfamide, have been identified to be active with response rates above 20%. The concept of angiostatic therapy in combination with proapoptotic biomodulators and chemotherapeutics has not been evaluated in these patients. Therefore, the efficacy of low-dose trofosfamide in combination with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma-agonist, pioglitazone, and the selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, rofecoxib, was evaluated in a pilot study. Six patients with advanced sarcoma received a combination of oral pioglitazone plus rofecoxib and, after 14 days, oral trofosfamide. The therapy was administered continuously daily. Four patients received the triple combination as maintenance therapy; three of them achieved stabilization of disease. Two patients received the combination as relapse therapy; however, it failed to stop disease progression. Side effects were generally mild and hospitalization was not necessary. This new triple combination of low-dose trofosfamide, pioglitazone, and rofecoxib may represent a feasible new alternative in the palliative treatment of sarcoma patients.

PMID: 16369750 [PubMed - in process]