Purpose: Studies involving small case series have suggested that malignant fibrous histiocytoma of bone (MFH-B) is a chemosensitive tumor and that chemotherapy may improve survival. In this study, we evaluated clinical and pathologic response rates and survival in a series of patients treated with a consistent chemotherapy regimen of doxorubicin and cisplatin (DOX/DDP).
Patients and methods: Study patients were required to have biopsy-proven MFH-B, no previous chemotherapy, and primary or metastatic measurable disease and to be </= 65 years of age. Treatment consisted of doxorubicin 25 mg/m(2)/d days 1 through 3 and cisplatin 100 mg/m(2) by 4-hour intravenous infusion every 3 weeks for six cycles. In patients with operable primary tumors, chemotherapy was planned to start within 42 days of biopsy, with definitive surgery performed after three cycles.
Results: Forty-one patients had operable nonmetastatic limb sarcomas, and 23 (56%) completed six chemotherapy cycles. Limb salvage was possible in 33 patients (80%), and 16 (42%) of 38 assessable specimens showed a good pathologic response (>/= 90% necrosis). Median time to progression was 56 months, and the 5-year progression-free survival rate was 56% (95% confidence interval [CI], 40% to 72%). Median survival time was 63 months, and the 5-year survival rate was 59% (95% CI, 41% to 77%). Patients with a good pathologic response had longer survival times and times to progression than did those with a poor response. Also treated were two patients with locally recurrent and nine with metastatic disease, and these patients had a median survival time of 17.5 months.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy with DOX/DDP is beneficial in MFH-B. Good pathologic response rates and survivals are quite comparable with those for osteosarcoma, a related bone tumor for which adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy is an accepted practice.