High-dose-intensity combination chemotherapy for advanced sarcomas: A pilot study

A new polychemotherapy schedule involving high dose intensity and shortened intervals has been developed patients with advanced sarcomas. Mesna at 2500 mg/m ² for 3 days, epidoxorubicin at 60 mg/m ² on day 1, ifosfamide at 2500 mg/m ² for 3 days, and dacarbazine at 450 mg/m ² for 2 days were given every 2 weeks to a consecutive series of 20 patients. All patients received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (CG-CSF; Filgrastim) subcutaneously at 300 μg from day 5 to day 12 of each cycle. The treatment was feasible and toxicity was acceptable, with grade IV myelotoxicity being observed only in one case. In all, 6 of 14 evaluable patients had an objective response; the median survival was 12 months. Toxicity was milder than that observed for the classic combination MAID, and the planned dose intensity was maintained in the majority of cases.