Paclitaxel in patients (pts) with advanced angiosarcomas

Abstract

10033 Background: Angiosarcomas represent a heterogenous group of rare sarcomas with specific clinical behaviour and risk factors. Paclitaxel has been suggested to induce tumor control in a proportion of pts with angiosarcoma while being inactive in other soft tissue sarcomas subtypes. The objective of this retrospective study was to investigate the antitumor activity of this compound in a larger series and a multicenter setting. Patients and Methods: Data from pts with angiosarcoma treated with paclitaxel in centers of the EORTC Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group were collected using a standardized data collection form. Results: Data from 32 pts were collected from 10 centers. There were 17 males and 15 females with a median age of 60.4 years (range 24–91). Eight pts (25%) had angiosarcomas of the face and scalp, 24 pts (75%) at other primary sites. Ten (31 %) pts had a previous cancer history, 7 of whom had been irradiated for breast cancer. Ten (31 %) pts had received 1^st line chemotherapy (ctx) and 3 pts 2^nd line ctx prior to treatment with paclitaxel. All 13 (40%) pretreated pts had doxorubicin, 5 pts in combination with ifosfamide as 1^st line and 3 pts ifosfamide as 2^nd line ctx. 21 (66 %) pts received paclitaxel 175 mg/m² every 3 weeks, and 11 (34 %) received 75–100 mg/m²weekly. The overall response rate (RR) was 62.5 % [including 1 CR (3%) and 19 PR (59%)]; in pts with face and scalp primary sites the RR was 75% (1CR, 5 PR), whereas pts with angiosarcoma at other sites achieved a response in 58% (14 PR). PFS was 7.6 months for all 32 pts. Conclusion: Paclitaxel was an active agent in angiosarcoma in this retrospective multicenter study, also in angiosarcoma originating at other sites than scalp and face. These results need to be confirmed in a controlled, prospective phase II study. No significant financial relationships to disclose.