Gemcitabine-containing chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic myxofibrosarcoma refractory to doxorubicin: A case series

Abstract

Background: Myxofibrosarcoma is a type of soft-tissue sarcoma that is associated with high rates of local recurrence and distant metastases. The first-line treatment for metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma has conventionally been doxorubicin-based. Recent evidence suggests that myxofibrosarcoma may be molecularly similar to undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS), which is particularly sensitive to gemcitabine-based therapy. The goal of this study was to evaluate the activity of gemcitabine-containing regimens for the treatment of metastatic myxofibrosarcoma refractory to doxorubicin. Material and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated seven consecutive cases of metastatic myxofibrosarcoma at our institution treated with gemcitabine-based therapy in the second-line setting, after progression on doxorubicin. Baseline clinical and baseline characteristics were collected. Primary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: After progression on first-line doxorubicin, a partial, or complete radiological response was observed in four of seven patients who received gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. With a median follow-up of 14 months, median progression-free and overall survival were 8.5 months and 11.4 months, respectively. Conclusions: Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy was associated with encouraging response rates in this cohort, similar to those seen in UPS. Both entities could be studied together for novel gemcitabine-based regimens.