Dr. Ganjoo on the Treatment of Metastatic Uterine Leiomyosarcoma

Kristen N. Ganjoo, MD, associate professor of medicine, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford Medicine, discusses the treatment of patients with metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma.

For patients who have metastatic disease, there are many different classes of therapies that are available, explains Ganjoo. Within the past 5 years, several chemotherapies have been approved by the FDA. In addition, immunotherapy agents are being tested in clinical trials. Although immunotherapy has yet to show a substantial benefit for patients with uterine leiomyosarcomas, it remains a potential option, she says.

Additionally, there are targeted therapies, such as pazopanib [Votrient], which is a VEGF inhibitor approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with sarcomas. Most patients with leiomyosarcoma will receive all these treatments at some point, adds Ganjoo, as these patients live a long time. Throughout a patient’s course of treatment, they’re likely to receive [doxorubicin] first and gemcitabine/docetaxel second, or vice versa. However, one of the biggest challenges in practice is deciding which treatment to start patients on.