Dr. Nassif on the Efficacy of Early-Phase Clinical Trials in Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Elise Nassif, MD, post-doctoral fellow, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, PhD student, Centre Léon Bérard, discusses the efficacy of early-phase clinical trials in soft tissue sarcoma.

During the 2021 ESMO Congress, findings from an analysis of early-phase clinical trials in soft tissue sarcomas at the Centre Léon Bérard and Gustave Roussy institutions demonstrated that the progression-free survival (PFS) rates observed compared favorably with previously published efficacy end points, Nassif says.

The results showed that 3-month PFS rates were 78% with first-line treatment, 58% with second-line treatment, and 44% with third-line treatment and beyond. At 6 months, these rates were 63%, 46%, and 21%, respectively. The median overall survival from the start of the trial was 36.3 months with first-line therapy, 12.6 months with second-line therapy, and 9 months with third-line therapy and beyond.

As such, the results suggest that early inclusion in clinical studies in the context of specific molecular and histologic trials leads to clinical benefit for patients with soft tissue sarcoma, Nassif concludes.