Skip to main content

Doxorubicin + Trabectedin Tied to Increased Survival in Metastatic Leiomyosarcoma

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 6, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Sept. 5, 2024 -- For patients with metastatic or surgically unresectable leiomyosarcoma, combination therapy with doxorubicin and trabectedin is associated with improved overall and progression-free survival compared with doxorubicin alone, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Patricia Pautier, M.D., from the Institut Gustave-Roussy in Villejuif, France, and colleagues conducted a phase 3 trial involving 150 patients with metastatic or unresectable leiomyosarcoma who had not received chemotherapy. Patients were randomly assigned to doxorubicin (six cycles) or doxorubicin plus trabectedin (six cycles), with continued trabectedin as maintenance therapy in patients in the doxorubicin-trabectedin group without disease progression. After six cycles of therapy, surgery was allowed to resect residual disease in each group.

The researchers found that at a median follow-up of 55 months, 47 and 60 patients in the doxorubicin-trabectedin and doxorubicin groups, respectively, had died. Median overall survival was longer in the doxorubicin-trabectedin group versus the doxorubicin group (33 versus 24 months; adjusted hazard ratio for death, 0.65). Progression-free survival was longer in the doxorubicin-trabectedin group versus the doxorubicin group, in a finding consistent with earlier reports (12 versus six months; adjusted hazard ratio for progression or death, 0.37).

"The trial results support the use of doxorubicin plus trabectedin for the first-line treatment of advanced or metastatic leiomyosarcomas, offering hope for improved outcomes in this challenging disease area," the authors write.

The study was partially funded by PharmaMar, the manufacturer of trabectedin.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted September 2024

Read this next

Outcomes With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Similar for Older, Younger Patients

TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- Patients with cancer aged 65 years and older receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) derive similar clinical outcomes as younger patients...

Prevalence of Most Cancer Risk Factors Unchanged Before, After Pandemic

THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 -- Smoking rates continued to decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, but other major risk factors for cancer remained stable, according to a study...

Cancer Death Rates Higher for Children in Neighborhoods With Persistent Poverty

MONDAY, April 21, 2025 -- The risk for cancer death is higher among children diagnosed in neighborhoods marked by persistent poverty, according to a study published online April...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.