OBJECTIVE: Characterize real-world treatment patterns and survival in Spain for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) not amenable to surgery or radiotherapy.
METHODS: Physicians in Spain completed a web-based retrospective medical record review for patients ≥18 years old who received ≥1 line of systemic therapy for advanced STS (other than Kaposi's sarcoma or gastrointestinal stromal tumors) from 1/1/2005 to 21/2/2014. Demographic and clinical characteristics (performance status [PS]; WHO histological classification; stage at diagnosis), treatments, and survival were recorded. Data were reported overall, by line of therapy, and by histological subtypes.
RESULTS: Thirty-four physicians provided data for 203 patients. Patients' mean (SD) age at advanced STS diagnosis was 56.6 (13.1) years, with 61% male. The most frequent histological subtypes were leiomyosarcomas (22%), liposarcomas (22%), and vascular sarcomas (12%). Sixty-eight percent of patients had stage IV cancer at initial diagnosis, and 46% had an ECOG PS of 2 or higher. Forty-two percent of patients had >1 and 10% had >2 lines of therapy. The five most common first-line chemotherapy regimens were doxorubicin (35%), doxorubicin/ifosfamide (15%), docetaxel/gemcitabine (10%), paclitaxel (6%), and ifosfamide (5%); the most common in second-line were ifosfamide (22%), trabectedin (17%), docetaxel/gemcitabine (13%), pazopanib (10%), and doxorubicin (10%). The most frequently used supportive medications were analgesics (65%), antiemetics (60%), and corticosteroids (31%). In first-line treatment, the average response rate was 42%, with the highest rate for patients receiving ifosfamide (60%; N=10) and the lowest for patients receiving paclitaxel (31%; N=13). Median survival estimates from start of first- and second-line therapy were 16.3 (Q1:Q3=8.2:30.8) and 12.0 (Q1:Q3=7.3:21.6) months, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective medical record review provides data on real-world advanced STS-related treatment and survival in Spain. Results point to critical unmet needs for more effective treatment options improving survival among patients with advanced STS.
