[Treatment of soft tissue sarcomas in the adult with a combination of vindesine and cisplatin with doxorubicin or epirubicin: a pilot study].

Twenty-five adult patients, 15 men and 10 women, with a median age of 49, and presenting with metastatic or locally advanced soft tissue sarcomas, have been treated with chemotherapy protocol combining cisplatinum, 100 mg/m2, vindesine, 4 mg/m2, and either adriamycin, 50 mg/m2 (APEL) (16 patients), or epirubicin, 100 mg/m2 (EPEL) (9 patients). The overall toxicity was high, with hematologic, digestive and renal side effects, leading to stop the treatment in 5/25 patients, and to reduce drugs dosage by greater than or equal to 25% in nearly half of the patients. A tumor response (tumor regression of greater than or equal to 50%) was observed in 9/25 patients (36%), including one histologically confirmed complete regression. Among 16 patients presenting with pain, a complete relief was obtained in 7. Thus, APEL/EPEL produced a response rate which compared with that obtained with CYVADIC regimen, but the toxicity of these regimens was higher leading us to stop these protocols. Others associations should be developed. In that regards, epirubicin may be considered as doses as high as 100 mg/m2, was tolerated as 50 mg/m2 of adriamycin, and produced a response in 5 over 9 patients treated.