In terms of cancer diagnoses, the more common ones we hear of are cancers such as Leukemia, Lymphoma, melanoma, and breast cancer. But what about Leiomyosarcoma?
Leiomyosarcoma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer that develops in the smooth muscles of the body (i.e. intestines, stomach, uterus, blood vessels).
In cases where Leiomyosarcoma is localized to one area, the main goal of treatment is surgery to completely remove the tumor. In cases where the Leiomyosarcoma has spread to other areas of the body, the goals of treatment include managing symptoms, reducing (debulking) tumor size, and prolonging survival. Metastatic Leiomyosarcoma is considered incurable at this time.
As for medical management, chemotherapies such as Gemcitabine and Docataxel (Gem/Tax), Doxorubicin, and Votrient are viable treatment options. However, for patients who have failed these treatment regimens, there is still very extensive research to be done.
Orlando Health is one of many sites across the globe who currently offer a Phase 2/3 randomized, double-blinded study of the use of combination Dacarbazine and Unesblin/placebo (PTC596-ONC-008-LMS). Dacarbazine, referred to as DTIC, is a chemotherapy administered intravenously every 3 weeks. Unesbulin is a novel, oral drug, administered twice weekly and is currently being researched in the treatment of advanced solid tumors. In this case, it is being studied in conjunction with DTIC for treatment of metastatic or unresectable, relapsed or refractory Leiomyosarcoma. Participants can be randomized to receive either DTIC with Unesbulin or DTIC with placebo.
Clinical trials often have a stigma as being a “last resort” for people whose other options have failed. While this can be true, clinical trials offer much more hope for people than is recognized. We recently had a patient come to our site from another state with hopes of being treated on this study for Leiomyosarcoma. While scenarios like this are not uncommon in the world of cancer treatment/management, it has been a humbling experience being able to care for this patient in their time of need.
I am reminded that the work we do in cancer research is more than just “work”. It is easy as a health care worker to remove the humanity of my patients’ experiences in order to complete a job or task. Scenario’s like this are good reminders that there is more to cancer research than just checking a bunch of boxes. I am reminded of the rare privilege I get daily to work with people in a time of need for both care and a little bit of hope.
Sources:
https://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/JCO.2022.40.16_suppl.11507
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551667/
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05269355?intr=PTC596&rank=5
About the author
Chloe graduated from the University of North Florida in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She has two and a half years of critical care nursing experience and transitioned to adult oncology research in 2022. Her focus is on Melanoma/Sarcoma specific Phase 2-3 clinical trials.