New and emerging therapies for advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma. (August 2014) - Gettys, Suzanne C
Soft tissue sarcomas include a rare variety of tumors, which require a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. Patients with advanced or metastatic disease are typically treated with anthracycline-based therapy, but these chemotherapy regimens are associated with poor response rates and average survival duration of one year. Much attention has been turned toward overexpressed gene pathways, and utilizing targeted therapies to inhibit tumor growth. Many new and approved targeted therapies and chemotherapy agents are currently in clinical and preclinical studies for soft tissue sarcoma. As the results of these studies are reported, we hope to see improved response rates and less toxicity, both in the frontline setting and for patients with advanced disease. This article will review the available data for some of the more promising therapies for advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcomas.