Trabectedin in Advanced Sarcomas—Experience at a Tertiary Care Center and Review of Literature

Background There is sparse literature on trabectedin in advanced soft-tissue sarcomas from developing world. It would be interesting to know about use and outcomes of trabectedin in Indian patients. Method In a retrospective study, consecutive patients treated with trabectedin from 2016 to 2019 were analyzed. Patients with L-sarcomas were treated at a dose of 1.5 mg/m (2) , while those with translocation-related sarcomas were treated at a dose of 1.2 mg/m (2) as a 24-hour infusion through peripherally inserted central catheter line. From July 2019, infusions were administered through an ambulatory elastomeric pump, while before that patients were admitted for 24 hours. We used SPSS version 23.0 for statistical calculation. Result A total of 20 patients received trabectedin with a total of 116 infusions. The median age was 46 years (range: 22–73 years). The male ( n = 11, 55%) and female patients were almost equal ( n = 9, 45%). Thirteen patients (65%) had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status 1. Majority of the patients had leiomyosarcoma ( n = 8, 40%); remaining comprised of liposarcoma (3, 15%), translocation-related sarcomas excluding myxoid liposarcoma ( n = 8, 40%) and others ( n = 1,5%). Most common site was extremity ( n = 11, 55%) followed by retroperitoneal ( n = 3, 15%), visceral ( n = 3, 15%), and others ( n = 3,15%). Median number of previous lines received was 2 (range: 0–4). Median number of trabectedin cycles received was 4 (range: 1–17). Best response assessed was stable disease ( n = 10, 50%), progressive disease ( n = 6, 30%), partial response ( n = 1, 5%), and not assessed in 3 patients. After a median follow-up of 19 months, median progression-free survival was 4 months. Conclusion In this heavily treated population (composed of L-sarcomas and translocation-related sarcomas) with many patients with poor performance status, the outcome with trabectedin is in synchrony with literature. However, the need of 24-hour admission might deter quality of life. Elastomeric pump seems to be a reasonable alternative to admission and can be a breakthrough in administering trabectedin, especially in developing countries.