Dr. Grignani on the Role of Trabectedin in Sarcoma

Giovanni Grignani, MD, medical oncologist, Candiolo Cancer Institute IRCCS, discusses some of the data seen thus far with trabectedin (Yondelis) as a treatment for patients with sarcoma.

In a phase II study involving patients with metastatic or locally relapsed uterine leiomyosarcoma (MLRUL) pretreated with conventional chemotherapy, trabectedin met the study criteria, with a 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate of 33% and a 12-month PFS rate of 20%.

According to Grignani, trabectedin is just one of the many innovative options that oncologists have when dealing with the increasing percentage of patients with this disease. Moreover, he says this patient population is aging, and physicians frequently find elderly patients who have several comorbidities, which can disrupt an otherwise efficacious course of treatment.