Pazopanib Well-Tolerated in Young With Primary Multimetastatic Ewing Sarcoma

In continuation of my update on Pazopanib

For young patients with primary multimetastatic Ewing sarcoma, pazopanib is well-tolerated and effective, according to a study published online Oct. 22 in Frontiers in Oncology.

Noting that pazopanib has been proposed as an effective salvage regimen for soft tissue sarcoma, including extraosseous Ewing sarcoma, Anna Raciborska, M.D., Ph.D., from the Institute of Mother and Child in Warsaw, Poland, and colleagues examined this approach for young patients with primary multimetastatic bone Ewing sarcoma. Eleven patients received standard first-line treatment in parallel with pazopanib.

The researchers found that pazopanib was administered for an average of 1.7 years, throughout the treatment period and after its completion (paused during the surgical procedure). Patients' median age was 14.2 years at the beginning of pazopanib treatment. Five patients underwent surgery on the primary tumor; 10 received concurrent radiation therapy and three underwent autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. No significant toxicities were observed. One, two, and one patients progressed, had relapse, and died (9.1, 18.2, and 9.1 percent, respectively). With a median follow-up of 2.6 years, 10 patients (90.9 percent) were alive. For the whole group, estimated two-year event-free and overall survival were 68.2 and 85.7 percent, respectively.

"Survival rates were higher than in historical controls, suggesting it may extend lives and, importantly, do so without adding severe toxicity," Raciborska said in a statement. "Moreover, the quality of life of treated children was good."

More : Abstract/Full Text

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazopanib

Pazopanib for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma.......

In continuation of my update on Pazopanib, I found this interesting info. In my earlier blog , I mentioned that lots of research groups are trying the same drug for other forms of cancer.  Dr. Cora Sternberg and co authors (Chief of the medical oncology department at the San Camillo and Forlanini Hospital in Rome, Italy), have come up with interesting results from a phase 3 study included 233 patients with previously untreated kidney cancer (also known as renal cell carcinoma) that was locally advanced or had spread, and 202 patients with renal cell carcinoma who had previously been treated with cytokine therapy (interferon or interleukin). The patients were randomly assigned to take pazopanib tablets (290 patients) or a placebo drug (145 patients).

As per the claim by the authors, in the pazopanib group, it took an average 9.2 months for the cancer to progress, vs. an average 4.2 months in the placebo group. The difference was greatest in previously untreated patients (11.1 months for the pazopanib group and 2.8 months for the placebo group), but also was found among patients previously treated with cytokines (7.4 months in the pazopanib group vs. 4.2 months in placebo group). 

Common side effects of pazopanib treatment included diarrhea (52 percent), high blood pressure (40 percent), hair color changes (38 percent), nausea (26 percent), weight loss (22 percent) and vomiting (21 percent).

Ref : http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/JCO.2009.23.9764v1