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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Intramucosal Inoculation of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells in Mice for Tumor Immune Profiling and Treatment Response Assessment
Published on: April 22, 2019
Real-world data on immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced sarcomas across multiple European institutions
Stefania Kokkali1, Ana Dolcan2, Kjetil Boye3
1Oncology Unit, Second Department of Medicine, University of Athens, Hippocratio General Hospital of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Background:
Following the success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in other cancer types, their role is being evaluated in sarcomas. They have been assessed as monotherapy, or in combination with other ICI, chemotherapeutic drugs and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in several clinical trials. So far the results have been limited to non-selected sarcoma populations. Further work is required to select patients who will benefit from immunotherapy.
Patients And Methods:
We conducted a pooled retrospective analysis of the use of ICI in patients with advanced sarcomas in multiple European institutions. ICI-based treatments included ICI monotherapy (n = 43, 59.7%), double ICI (n = 5, 6.9%), ICI plus TKI (n = 21, 29.2%) and ICI plus chemotherapy (n = 3, 4.2%).
Results:
Seventy-two patients from 10 European institutions, with metastatic (87.5%) or locally advanced (12.5%) disease were included. The most common subtype was undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (16.7%), followed by leiomyosarcoma (12%), liposarcoma (10%) and angiosarcoma (9.7%). The median number of prior lines of systemic therapy was 2 (0-8). The objective response rate was 34.4% and was higher in combination regimens versus ICI monotherapy. With a median follow-up of 20.7 months, median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.6 and median overall survival (OS) 18.8 months. Line of therapy (1st/2nd vs. ≥ 3rd line) and best response to ICI was significantly associated with PFS and OS. Histological subtype was significantly associated with OS. Toxicity was in general manageable; only six (8.3%) patients discontinued therapy for AE.
Interpretation:
Our study provided additional real-world data on the outcome of ICI in patients with advanced sarcomas.
Insights
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) show promise in advanced sarcomas, with combination therapies outperforming monotherapy. Further research is needed to identify patient subgroups who will benefit most from these immunotherapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunotherapy
- Sarcoma Research
Background:
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are increasingly evaluated for sarcoma treatment following success in other cancers.
- Current data on ICI in sarcomas is limited to non-selected patient populations.
- Identifying patients likely to respond to immunotherapy is crucial for optimizing sarcoma treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the real-world outcomes of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatments in patients with advanced sarcomas.
- To compare the efficacy of different ICI-based regimens (monotherapy vs. combinations).
- To investigate factors influencing treatment response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in sarcoma patients receiving ICI.
Main Methods:
- A pooled retrospective analysis of 72 patients with advanced sarcomas from 10 European institutions.
- Evaluation of various ICI-based treatments: monotherapy, dual ICI, ICI plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), and ICI plus chemotherapy.
- Assessment of objective response rate (ORR), PFS, OS, and toxicity.
Main Results:
- An objective response rate (ORR) of 34.4% was observed, with combination regimens showing higher efficacy than ICI monotherapy.
- Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.6 months and median overall survival (OS) was 18.8 months.
- Treatment line, best response to ICI, and histological subtype were significantly associated with PFS and OS. Toxicity was generally manageable.
Conclusions:
- This study provides valuable real-world data on ICI efficacy in advanced sarcomas.
- Combination ICI therapies appear more effective than monotherapy in this patient cohort.
- Further investigation is warranted to refine patient selection for ICI therapy in sarcomas.
