Epirubicin/dacarbazine rapidly alternated with ifosfamide in the treatment of metastatic soft tissue sarcomas.

Twenty-eight patients with non-pretreated metastatic soft tissue sarcomas were entered on a treatment protocol of rapidly alternating epirubicin/dacarbazine and ifosfamide: Epirubicin 100 mg/m2 d1, dacarbazine 500 mg/m2 d1 + d2, ifosfamide 6000 mg/m2 24-h infusion d15; repeated d29. Eight patients (30%) achieved partial responses, with a median duration of 8.5 months. The median time to progression was 5.5 months. Myelosuppression was the main toxicity. Only 74% of the planned dose intensity could be administered. This rapidly alternating treatment protocol is not superior to anthracycline single agent therapy.