ASCO, Author Interviews, Chemotherapy / 03.06.2015

Professor Patrick Schöffski Head, Department of General Medical Oncology and the Laboratory of Experimental Oncology at the University Hospital Leuven, KU Leuven, BelgiumMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Patrick Schöffski Head, Department of General Medical Oncology and the Laboratory of Experimental Oncology at the University Hospital Leuven, KU Leuven, Belgium MedicalResearch: What are the key points of the study? Professor Schöffski: This is the first and only randomised controlled trial of a single agent systemic therapy to demonstrate an improvement in overall survival in people previously treated for advanced soft tissue sarcomas. The study met its primary objective for overall survival benefit (OS) for investigational use in patients treated with eribulin compared to dacarbazine. Median OS for eribulin was 13.5 months versus 11.5 months for dacarbazine representing a significant benefit, meaning that patients treated with eribulin may have a 23% reduction in the risk of death. Furthermore, an additional study endpoint included progression-free survival (PFS) at 12 weeks.  While there was a numerical difference between arms favouring eribulin versus dacarbazine (33% vs 29%) this was not statistically significant. Median PFS was 2.6 months in both arms. (more…)