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. 2020 Dec 1;10(1):20896.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-77898-y.

Eribulin as a first-line treatment for soft tissue sarcoma patients with contraindications for doxorubicin

Kenji Tsuchihashi  1 , Hitoshi Kusaba  1 , Tomoyasu Yoshihiro  2 , Toshifumi Fujiwara  3 , Nokitaka Setsu  3 , Makoto Endo  3 , Yoshihiro Matsumoto  3 , Takashi Imajima  1 , Yudai Shinohara  1 , Mamoru Ito  1 , Satoru Yamaga  2 , Kenro Tanoue  2 , Kohei Arimizu  2 , Hirofumi Ohmura  2 , Fumiyasu Hanamura  2 , Kyoko Yamaguchi  2 , Taichi Isobe  4 , Hiroshi Ariyama  1 , Yasuharu Nakashima  3 , Koichi Akashi  2 , Eishi Baba  5
Affiliations

Eribulin as a first-line treatment for soft tissue sarcoma patients with contraindications for doxorubicin

Kenji Tsuchihashi et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Doxorubicin is a first-line therapy for patients with unresectable advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS). However, because of cardiotoxicities, it is not used for patients with cardiac problems. Eribulin has exhibited efficacy for advanced STS in second- or later-line treatments. In the present study, we retrospectively analyzed the efficacy and safety of first-line eribulin therapy for patients with advanced STS unable to receive doxorubicin. Six of 28 patients who received eribulin as any line treatment received eribulin as a first-line treatment. The reasons for avoiding doxorubicin were as follows: cardiac problems for four patients and advanced age for two. Median progression-free survival (PFS) of the patients who received eribulin as first-line and, second or later-line therapy were 9.7 months (95% CI: 1.0-not reached) and 3.9 months (95% CI: 2.7-5.9), which were not significantly different. The reasons for discontinuation of eribulin were disease progression and adverse events (2 fatigue and 1 neuropathy) for three patients each. No treatment-related cardiotoxicity was observed. The findings of this study indicated that eribulin exhibits meaningful efficacy for the patients with contraindications for doxorubicin as a first-line treatment without cardiac adverse events. However, appropriate safety management is necessary because older patients are typically among those intolerable of doxorubicin.

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Conflict of interest statement

K.T. received honoraria from Eisai, Chugai Pharma and Novartis Pharma. N.S. received honoraria from Daiichi Sankyo. M.E. received honoraria from Eisai, Taisho, Daiichi Sankyo, Novartis Pharma and Taisho-Toyama. M.E. received consulting fee from Eli Lilly. Y.M. received honoraria from Eisai, Taiho Pharma, Synthes and Medtronic. M.T. received honoraria from Chugai Pharma and Japan Blood Product Organization. H.A. received honoraria from Chugai Pharma. Y.N. received honoraria from Chugai Pharmaceutical, Mitsubishi-Tanabe Pharma, Janssen Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Eisai, AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Astellas, AYUMI, Hisamitsu, Taisho Pharmaceutical, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Zimmer-Biomet and Kyocera. Y.N. received donation from Kyocera. K.A. received honoraria from Astellas Pharm, AbbVie GK, Eisai, Kyowa Kirin, Novartis Pharma, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen Pharma, Takeda Pharma, Chugai Pharma, Otsuka Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo, Amgen Astellas BioPharma and Ono Pharma. K.A. received donation from Astellas Pharma, Eisai, Sanofi, Asahi Kasei Pharma, Japan Blood Products Organization, Kyowa Kirin, Mochida Pharma, Ono Pharma, Otsuka Pharma, Shionogi, Yakult Honsh, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma,Taiho Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo, Chugai Pharma, Nippon Kayaku, Nippon Shinyaku, Nihon Pharma, FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical, Takeda Pharma, Novartis Pharma, MSD and Eli Lilly Japan. E.B. received honoraria from Eli Lilly Japan. No other authors have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Kaplan–Meier plot for progression-free survival (PFS) of patients who received eribulin as a first-line therapy, and second or later-line therapy. 95% CI, confidence interval. HR, hazard ratio. (b) Kaplan–Meier plot for overall survival (OS) of patients who received eribulin as a first-line therapy, and second or later-line therapy. 95% CI, confidence interval. HR, hazard ratio.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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