Advanced chondrosarcomas: role of chemotherapy and survival

There are limited data about the role of chemotherapy in patients with advanced chondrosarcomas.

The medical charts of 180 patients with advanced chondrosarcomas having received chemotherapy in 15 participating institutions between 1988 and 2011 were reviewed.

Median age was 52 years. Sixty-three percent of patients had conventional chondrosarcoma and 88% had metastatic disease. Combination chemotherapy was delivered in 98 cases (54.5%). One hundred and thirty-one patients (73%) received an anthracycline-containing regimen. Using RECIST, the objective response rate was significantly different according to histological subtype, being 31% for mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, 20.5% for dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma, 11.5% for conventional chondrosarcoma and 0% for clear-cell chondrosarcoma (P = 0.04). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.7 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 3-6.5]. Performance status (PS) ≥2, number of metastatic sites ≥1 and single-agent regimen were independently associated with poor PFS. Median overall survival (OS) was 18 months (95% CI 14.5-21.6). PS, number of metastatic sites and palliative surgery were independently associated with OS.

Conventional chemotherapy have very limited efficacy in patients with advanced chondrosarcoma, the highest benefit being observed in mesenchymal and dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma. These data should be used as a reference for response and outcome in the assessment of investigational drugs in advanced chondrosarcoma.