Wet drug derived from the sea shows a strong anti-tumor activity - The Lancet
The sea squirt derived drug trabectedin (ecteinascidinin-743) shows anti-tumor activity in more than half of patients with a particular type of cancer, conclude authors of an article published early online in The Lancet Oncology July processing. Dr Federica Grosso, Sarcoma Unit, Instituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy, and colleagues in sarcoma centers in Boston, London, Lyon and Paris, a retrospective study on the impact of trabectedin (derived from sea squirt turbinata) in patients with advanced pre-treated myxoid liposarcomas, a subtype of the liposarcoma group of associated cancers with specific chromosomal translocations.They found that of 51 patients with myxoid liposarcoma given trabectedin as part of a compassionate use program, two saw their tumors disappear
completely (complete response), while 24 others saw the largest diameter of the tumor reduced by at least 30% (partial response), an overall response rate of 51%. Previous studies have shown response rates of trabectedin not exceeding 20%. Of these 26 patients who responded, 23 had undergone radiological examination of their tumors. The authors found that 17 of these 23 had also experienced tumor thickness before reducing the shrinkage or disappearance of the tumor.In addition, the rate of progression-free survival at six months 88%, while previous studies have put in all soft tissue sarcomas of the figure at almost 20%. The median progression-free survival was 14 months. The authors say the results of this analysis, if reproduced in ongoing prospective studies, myxoid
sarcoma would represent a subgroup at particularly sensitive to treatment with Yondelis ® in the heterogeneous family of soft tissue sarcoma. Surgical removal is the mainstay of current treatment regimens for soft tissue sarcoma, but still almost half of patients develop distant metastases (secondary tumors) and die.Some drugs, such as anthracyclines and ifosfamide, have shown response rates of 20-40%, but new drugs are needed.Pages: [1] 2