Dr. Trent on Sequencing Trabectedin for Patients With Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Jonathan C. Trent, MD, associate director for Clinical Research, director of the Sarcoma Medical Research Program at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, discusses sequencing trabectedin (Yondelis) for patients with soft tissue sarcoma.

The phase III ET743-SAR-3007 study led to the FDA approval in October 2015 of trabectedin for patients with leiomyosarcoma and liposarcoma who were previously treated with chemotherapy that included an anthracycline. Previous data have shown that trabectedin demonstrates activity in myxoid liposarcoma, in which second-line therapy with gemcitabine/docetaxel has not proven to be effective, Trent says.

In clinical practice, Trent explains that he would administer trabectedin to patients who were resistant to doxorubicin plus a phosphamide with a 24-hour infusion every 3 weeks. For patients with leiomyosarcoma who are sensitive to doxorubicin plus a phosphamide, Trent suggests they can be treated with gemcitabine/docetaxel as a second-line therapy. Trabectedin could be given in the third-line setting for metastatic disease, he adds.

A clinical trial comparing the efficacy of gemcitabine/docetaxel with trabectedin would determine which therapy may be more beneficial for patients, Trent explains.