The FDA has approved trabectedin (Yondelis) for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma—specfically, liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma—who have previously received chemotherapy that included an anthracycline.

The approval is based on results from the phase III ET743-SAR-3007 trial, in which trabectedin reduced the risk of disease progression by 45% versus dacarbazine in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma. There was also a slight survival trend with trabectedin, but the results were not significant.

"The treatment of advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma represents a difficult challenge with few effective therapeutic choices available for patients,” said Richard Pazdur, MD, director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Today’s approval of Yondelis provides a treatment option for advanced or metastatic liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma." Click here to read the full article at OncLive.com