Votrient (Glaxo Smith Kline) prolongs progression-free survival in advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma

For patients with metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS) whose disease has progressed following standard chemotherapy, treatment with Votrient (pazopanib), from Glaxo Smith Kline, nearly tripled progression-free survival compared with placebo, according to results of the PALETTE trial. This is the first time a randomised Phase III trial in metastatic STS has shown improvement in PFS. Of 369 patients enrolled, they were randomly assigned to oral Votrient (246 patients) or placebo (123). Results showed that the time it took for a patient's disease to progress was improved by 3 months for those receiving Votrient (4.6 months) compared with those given placebo (1.6 months) at a median follow-up of 15 months. However, there was no significant gain in overall survival (12.5 months vs 10.7 months) in patients receiving Votrient. Common side effects of Votrient included fatigue, diarrhoea, hypertension, nausea, and weight loss. Newly reported side effects were venous thromboembolic events, pneumothorax, and cardiotoxicity, according to lead researcher Professor Winette van der Graaf, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Netherlands.