Treatment of Metastatic Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Treatment Options Under Clinical Evaluation
Current Clinical Trials

Standard treatment options for metastatic childhood soft tissue sarcoma include the following:

• Combination therapy using chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical resection of pulmonary metastases.

The prognosis for children with metastatic soft tissue sarcomas is poor,[1-6] and these children should receive combined treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical resection of pulmonary metastases. In a prospective randomized trial, chemotherapy with vincristine, dactinomycin, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide with or without dacarbazine led to tumor responses in one-third of patients with unresectable or metastatic disease. The estimated 4-year survival rate, however, was poor, with fewer than one-third of children surviving.[6-8] Children with isolated pulmonary metastases should undergo a surgical procedure in an attempt to resect all gross disease. For patients with multiple or recurrent pulmonary metastases, additional surgical procedures can be performed if the morbidity is expected to be acceptable. An alternative approach is focused radiation therapy (fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy) that has been successfully used in adults to sterilize lesions. The estimated 5-year survival rate after thoracotomy for pulmonary metastasectomy has ranged from 10% to 58% in adult studies. Emerging data suggest a similar outcome following the use of focused radiation therapy in adults.[9] Formal segmentectomy, lobectomy, and mediastinal lymph node dissection are unnecessary.[10]

Vincristine, doxorubicin, and ifosfamide with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor have been used in patients with unresected or metastatic tumors. The Pediatric Oncology Group evaluated the combination of doxorubicin and ifosfamide in children with unresected or metastatic soft tissue sarcomas because several adult trials have suggested that ifosfamide-based regimens may be superior to other chemotherapeutic regimens for soft tissue sarcomas.[11] Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with metastatic childhood soft tissue sarcoma. The list of clinical trials can be further narrowed by location, drug, intervention, and other criteria.

General information about clinical trials is also available from the NCI Web site.

References

1. Demetri GD, Elias AD: Results of single-agent and combination chemotherapy for advanced soft tissue sarcomas. Implications for decision making in the clinic. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 9 (4): 765-85, 1995.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
2. Elias A, Ryan L, Sulkes A, et al.: Response to mesna, doxorubicin, ifosfamide, and dacarbazine in 108 patients with metastatic or unresectable sarcoma and no prior chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol 7 (9): 1208-16, 1989.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
3. Edmonson JH, Ryan LM, Blum RH, et al.: Randomized comparison of doxorubicin alone versus ifosfamide plus doxorubicin or mitomycin, doxorubicin, and cisplatin against advanced soft tissue sarcomas. J Clin Oncol 11 (7): 1269-75, 1993.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
4. Rao BN: Nonrhabdomyosarcoma in children: prognostic factors influencing survival. Semin Surg Oncol 9 (6): 524-31, 1993 Nov-Dec.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
5. deCou JM, Rao BN, Parham DM, et al.: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors: the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital experience. Ann Surg Oncol 2 (6): 524-9, 1995.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
6. Pappo AS, Rao BN, Jenkins JJ, et al.: Metastatic nonrhabdomyosarcomatous soft-tissue sarcomas in children and adolescents: the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital experience. Med Pediatr Oncol 33 (2): 76-82, 1999.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
7. Pratt CB, Pappo AS, Gieser P, et al.: Role of adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of surgically resected pediatric nonrhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue sarcomas: A Pediatric Oncology Group Study. J Clin Oncol 17 (4): 1219, 1999.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
8. Pratt CB, Maurer HM, Gieser P, et al.: Treatment of unresectable or metastatic pediatric soft tissue sarcomas with surgery, irradiation, and chemotherapy: a Pediatric Oncology Group study. Med Pediatr Oncol 30 (4): 201-9, 1998.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
9. Corbin KS, Philip A, Hyrien O, et al.: Do patients with pulmonary metastases from soft tissue sarcoma benefit from stereotactic body radiation therapy? [Abstract] Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 69 (3 Suppl 1): A-2980, S752, 2007 . 
   
   
10. Putnam JB Jr, Roth JA: Surgical treatment for pulmonary metastases from sarcoma. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 9 (4): 869-87, 1995.  [PUBMED Abstract]
    
    
11. Pappo AS, Devidas M, Jenkins J, et al.: Phase II trial of neoadjuvant vincristine, ifosfamide, and doxorubicin with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support in children and adolescents with advanced-stage nonrhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue sarcomas: a Pediatric Oncology Group Study. J Clin Oncol 23 (18): 4031-8, 2005.  [PUBMED Abstract]