The use of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma

Background: Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a heterogeneous group of rare malignancies with limited response to conventional chemotherapy. Among these, epithelioid haemangioendothelioma (EHE) and angiosarcoma represent rare vascular sarcomas with distinct clinical behaviours, challenging treatment appr...

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Main Authors: Trang Pham, Hanne Krogh Rose, Philip Rossen, Ninna Aggerholm Pedersen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Medical Journals Sweden 2025-04-01
Series:Acta Oncologica
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Online Access:https://medicaljournalssweden.se/actaoncologica/article/view/43263
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author Trang Pham
Hanne Krogh Rose
Philip Rossen
Ninna Aggerholm Pedersen
author_facet Trang Pham
Hanne Krogh Rose
Philip Rossen
Ninna Aggerholm Pedersen
author_sort Trang Pham
collection DOAJ
description Background: Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a heterogeneous group of rare malignancies with limited response to conventional chemotherapy. Among these, epithelioid haemangioendothelioma (EHE) and angiosarcoma represent rare vascular sarcomas with distinct clinical behaviours, challenging treatment approaches, and poor prognoses. Doxorubicin remains the standard first-line therapy for metastatic STS, but its use is constrained by dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) has been proposed as an alternative. Material and method: This retrospective, registry-based cohort study investigates the efficacy of PLD in patients with locally advanced or metastatic STS treated at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, between 2008 and 2023. Patients were identified from a regional database, and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analysed. Results: A total of 38 patients were included, with 6 diagnosed with EHE and 16 with angiosarcoma. Among EHE patients, all had metastatic disease at diagnosis, with a median PFS of 7.8 months and OS of 1.5 years from the start of PLD treatment. Two patients remained progression-free for over 5 years. In angiosarcoma patients, the median PFS was 7.4 months, and the median OS was 2.4 years. Other STS subtype including solitary fibrous tumours (SFT), showed minimal benefit from PLD, with a median PFS of 2.8 months. Interpretation: Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin demonstrated clinically relevant activity in angiosarcoma and EHE. It may be considered a therapeutic option for patients with these aggressive vascular sarcomas. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm its efficacy and optimised treatment strategies.
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spelling doaj-art-a48cf6972325482d9cef6e39a10a0bfe2025-08-20T02:24:49ZengMedical Journals SwedenActa Oncologica1651-226X2025-04-016410.2340/1651-226X.2025.43263The use of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in metastatic soft tissue sarcomaTrang Pham0Hanne Krogh Rose1Philip Rossen2Ninna Aggerholm Pedersen3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6859-5296Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, DenmarkDepartment of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, DenmarkDepartment of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, DenmarkDepartment of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DenmarkBackground: Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a heterogeneous group of rare malignancies with limited response to conventional chemotherapy. Among these, epithelioid haemangioendothelioma (EHE) and angiosarcoma represent rare vascular sarcomas with distinct clinical behaviours, challenging treatment approaches, and poor prognoses. Doxorubicin remains the standard first-line therapy for metastatic STS, but its use is constrained by dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) has been proposed as an alternative. Material and method: This retrospective, registry-based cohort study investigates the efficacy of PLD in patients with locally advanced or metastatic STS treated at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, between 2008 and 2023. Patients were identified from a regional database, and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analysed. Results: A total of 38 patients were included, with 6 diagnosed with EHE and 16 with angiosarcoma. Among EHE patients, all had metastatic disease at diagnosis, with a median PFS of 7.8 months and OS of 1.5 years from the start of PLD treatment. Two patients remained progression-free for over 5 years. In angiosarcoma patients, the median PFS was 7.4 months, and the median OS was 2.4 years. Other STS subtype including solitary fibrous tumours (SFT), showed minimal benefit from PLD, with a median PFS of 2.8 months. Interpretation: Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin demonstrated clinically relevant activity in angiosarcoma and EHE. It may be considered a therapeutic option for patients with these aggressive vascular sarcomas. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm its efficacy and optimised treatment strategies. https://medicaljournalssweden.se/actaoncologica/article/view/43263sarcomatreatmentsurvivalrare cancer
spellingShingle Trang Pham
Hanne Krogh Rose
Philip Rossen
Ninna Aggerholm Pedersen
The use of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma
Acta Oncologica
sarcoma
treatment
survival
rare cancer
title The use of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma
title_full The use of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma
title_fullStr The use of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma
title_full_unstemmed The use of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma
title_short The use of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma
title_sort use of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in metastatic soft tissue sarcoma
topic sarcoma
treatment
survival
rare cancer
url https://medicaljournalssweden.se/actaoncologica/article/view/43263
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