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Angiosarcomas and Taxanes

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Opinion statement

Angiosarcomas (AS) are a heterogeneous group of rare and aggressive malignancies. The best treatment of localized AS includes wide resection following by adjuvant radiation therapy as possible. The current standard treatment of metastatic AS remains a doxorubicin-based regimen. This treatment provides a median progression-free survival and a median overall survival of about 4 and 8 months, respectively. Numerous case reports and retrospective studies have suggested that taxanes (paclitaxel or docetaxel) may provide some objective responses. The French Sarcoma Group has conducted a phase II clinical trial, which states the benefit of weekly paclitaxel in patients with unresectable or metastatic AS. After 2 cycles, the non-progression rate was 78% and complete histological responses were observed in 3 out of 30 cases. Further clinical studies are needed to confirm clinic impact of weekly paclitaxel on survival and to assess the role of taxanes in the multidisciplinary treatment of AS.

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Acknowledgments

The authors specially thank the members of the “Bureau des Etudes Cliniques de la FNCLCC” (Marta JIMENEZ, Céline MAHIER, Jean GENEVE) and the members of the Groupe Sarcome Français (GSF/GETO) for their help in the management of the Angio-Tax Study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de Cancérologie Générale, Centre Oscar Lambret, 3, rue F Combemale, Lille, 59020, France

    Nicolas Penel (MD, PhD)

  2. Equipe d’Accueil 2694: Santé Publique, Epidémiologie et modélisation des maladies chroniques, Université Lille II, Lille, France

    Nicolas Penel (MD, PhD)

  3. Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Anti-tumorale, Centre Oscar Lambret, Lille, France

    Amélie Lansiaux (MD, PhD)

  4. Département de Cancérologie Digestive et Urologique, Centre Oscar Lambret, Lille, France

    Antoine Adenis (MD, PhD)

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  1. Nicolas Penel
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Correspondence to Nicolas Penel.

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Penel, N., Lansiaux, A. & Adenis, A. Angiosarcomas and Taxanes. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 8, 428–434 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-007-0042-0

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