Results of a Phase II Trial for Intermediate-Risk Rhabdomyosarcoma Treatment Protocol JRS-I: A Report From the Japan...

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of multimodality treatment with vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) therapy, surgery, and radiotherapy according to the US Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study IV (IRS-IV), and to establish a central review system and standard treatment for intermediate-risk pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma in Japan.

The Japan Rhabdomyosarcoma Study-I (JRS-I) was a single-arm, phase II trial for intermediate-risk rhabdomyosarcoma treatment with open enrollment from June 2004 to March 2009. Patients received 12 cycles of VAC every 3 weeks for 42 weeks, with local therapy beginning after Week 12. The endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and incidence of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD).

Thirty-one eligible patients were enrolled, and at a median follow-up of 5.2 years, the 3-year PFS and OS for patients were 74.2% ± 7.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 55.0%-86.2%) and 90.3% ± 5.3% (95% CI 72.9%-96.8%), respectively. VOD occurred in 3 (8%) of the 40 evaluable patients, but all recovered, and there were no deaths.

The VAC regimen for intermediate-risk rhabdomyosarcoma with the first central review system in Japan is safe and feasible, and these findings can be positioned as basic data for improving treatment outcomes in Japan.