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Updated: Nov 3, 2025
Establishment of a Primary Culture of Patient-derived Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Published on: April 11, 2018
Toward a Personalized Therapy in Soft-Tissue Sarcomas: State of the Art and Future Directions
Liliana Montella1, Lucia Altucci2, Federica Sarno2
1Naples 2 Local Health Unit, Oncology Operative Unit, "Santa Maria delle Grazie" Hospital, 80078 Naples, Italy.
Abstract:
Soft-tissue sarcomas are rare tumors characterized by pathogenetic, morphological, and clinical intrinsic variability. Median survival of patients with advanced tumors are usually chemo- and radio-resistant, and standard treatments yield low response rates and poor survival results. The identification of defined genomic alterations in sarcoma could represent the premise for targeted treatments. Summarizing, soft-tissue sarcomas can be differentiated into histotypes with reciprocal chromosomal translocations, with defined oncogenic mutations and complex karyotypes. If the latter are improbably approached with targeted treatments, many suggest that innovative therapies interfering with the identified fusion oncoproteins and altered pathways could be potentially resolutive. In most cases, the characteristic genetic signature is discouragingly defined as "undruggable", which poses a challenge for the development of novel pharmacological approaches. In this review, a summary of genomic alterations recognized in most common soft-tissue sarcoma is reported together with current and future therapeutic opportunities.
Insights
Soft-tissue sarcomas exhibit significant variability, often resisting standard treatments. Identifying genomic alterations offers potential for targeted therapies against these rare cancers.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Genetics
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare, heterogeneous tumors with poor outcomes in advanced stages.
- Current treatments show limited efficacy due to chemo- and radio-resistance.
- Understanding STS genetic landscape is crucial for developing effective therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review genomic alterations in common soft-tissue sarcomas.
- To explore current and future therapeutic opportunities based on these alterations.
- To address the challenge of
- undruggable
- genetic targets in STS.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of genomic alterations in soft-tissue sarcomas.
- Analysis of current therapeutic strategies and their limitations.
- Exploration of emerging targeted therapies and novel treatment approaches.
Main Results:
- STS are characterized by diverse genetic alterations, including chromosomal translocations and oncogenic mutations.
- Many identified genetic alterations are considered
- undruggable
- , posing significant challenges.
- Specific genomic signatures vary across different soft-tissue sarcoma histotypes.
Conclusions:
- Targeted therapies hold promise for soft-tissue sarcoma treatment by interfering with specific oncogenic pathways.
- Overcoming the
- undruggable
- nature of some STS targets is key for therapeutic advancement.
- Further research into novel pharmacological approaches is essential for improving patient survival.
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