E-Newsletter - Summer 2017

(Alliance A091202) - A phase II study of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist, efatutazone in patients with previously treated, unresectable myxoid liposarcoma

NOW ENROLLING!

Testing efatutazone in advanced myxoid liposarcoma.

What is myxoid liposarcoma?

Liposarcoma is a rare type of cancer that arises in fat cells in deep soft tissue, such as that inside the thigh. Myxoid liposarcomas are the second most common type of liposarcoma, representing 30 percent to 40 percent of all liposarcomas in the limbs; occurring most commonly in the legs, particularly the thigh, followed by the buttocks, retroperitoneum, trunk, ankle, proximal limb girdle, head and neck, and wrist. Most patients are older than 50 years of age who complain of a large, painless, deep-seated mass located proximally in the extremities. Like most solid cancers, liposarcomas are only curable if surgically removed. However, as a group, 50 percent of liposarcomas are advanced - either locally advanced unresectable or metastatic. For these patients, treatment is palliative, aimed at extending survival while maintaining as high a quality of life as possible. Treatment for such advanced patients is generally chemotherapy, and while for many patients with liposarcomas, chemotherapy can be effective, the side effects are significant, and the benefits can be short lived.

What is the purpose of this trial?

Alliance A091202 will study how well efatutazone dihydrochloride works in treating patients with previously treated myxoid liposarcoma that cannot be removed by surgery. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as efatutazone dihydrochloride, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Efatutazone induces liposarcoma cell death by activating a protein called PPAR-gamma.

Who can participate in this trial?

To be eligible for this study, patients must meet several criteria, including but not limited to the following:
- Patients must have myxoid liposarcoma that has continued to grow despite at least one prior regimen of therapy and cannot be removed surgically.
- At least 4 weeks must pass between completion of prior therapies and entry into the study.
- Patients must be able to walk and do routine activities for more than half of their normal waking hours.
- This study is for patients age 18 and older.

How will patients be treated on this trial?  
This is a single-arm study. All patients will receive efatutazone orally. Treatment will continue until disease progression or unacceptable adverse event. After disease progression or unacceptable adverse event, patients will be followed for a maximum of five (5) years from time of registration.

To learn more about the trial and trial locations, visit:
ClinicalTrials.gov: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02249949

Information and assistance from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Trained information specialists at the NCI are available to answer cancer-related questions from patients, family members or friends, health care providers, and researchers. Visit the NCI’s Cancer Information Service [http://www.cancer.gov/global/contact] webpage for contact instructions, including telephone, live chat, e-mail, and mail.

 

 

For other articles in the Summer issue of the Alliance E-News newsletter, see below.