Response of Metastatic Angiosarcoma to Thalidomide: Possible Synergism With Radiation Therapy

Publication
Article
OncologyONCOLOGY Vol 14 No 11
Volume 14
Issue 11

A 67-year-old female developed metastatic angiosarcoma involving the scalp, left neck, and pulmonary nodules. Disease progression occurred while she received two cycles of doxorubicin/ifosfamide (Ifex)/mesna (Mesnex), complicated by sepsis

A 67-year-old female developed metastatic angiosarcoma involving the scalp, left neck, and pulmonary nodules. Disease progression occurred while she received two cycles of doxorubicin/ifosfamide (Ifex)/mesna (Mesnex), complicated by sepsis and pneumonia. Radiation was used to palliate tumor bulk in the neck (4,000 cGy in 16 fractions) with a minor response (< 10%) lasting 2 months. Upon disease progression in all three sites, oral thalidomide (Thalomid) was begun at 150 mg three times daily.

During a 6-week period, the neck mass had an 84% shrinkage (from 7.5 ´ 5 cm to 3 ´ 2 cm), while the scalp and pulmonary lesions remained unchanged. Toxicity was limited to somnolence, responding to dose reduction to 100 mg three times daily. After 2 months, thalidomide was stopped because of pulmonary progression with hemothorax and bronchopleural fistula. Progression also occurred in the scalp, but the size of the neck lesion remained unchanged up until the patient’s demise 3 months later from pulmonary complications.

CONCLUSION: Thalidomide may have a synergistic role for combined-modality therapy of angiosarcoma. Integration of thalidomide into a clinical trial of chemoradiotherapy would be feasible, straightforward, and merits evaluation.

Click here to read Wen-Jen Hwu's commentary on this abstract.

Recent Videos
Future findings from a translational analysis of the OVATION-2 trial may corroborate prior clinical data with IMNN-001 in advanced ovarian cancer.
The dual high-affinity binding observed with ISB 2001 may avoid resistance mechanisms reported with other BCMA-targeted therapies.
The use of chemotherapy trended towards improved recurrence-free intervals in older patients with high-risk tumors as determined via the MammaPrint assay.
Use of a pharmacist-directed resource appears to improve provider confidence and adverse effect monitoring for patients undergoing infusion therapy.
Reshma L. Mahtani, DO, describes how updates from the DESTINY-Breast09, ASCENT-04, and VERITAC-2 trials may shift practices in the breast cancer field.
2 experts in this video
Related Content