NAPAGE: NAb-PAclitaxel and GEmcitabine in Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma

A clinical trial with biweekly regimen of gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel for Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs). A Promising antitumor activity in patients with metastatic STS has been reported with gemcitabine alone or in combination with taxanes including docetaxel and paclitaxel in pre-treated patients. Nab-paclitaxel is a 130-nm albumin-bound formulation of paclitaxel particles (Celgene, Summit, NJ) which was designed to eliminate the toxicities associated with Cremophor®-EL. Nab-paclitaxel at equal dose of paclitaxel showed increased antitumor activity, enhanced endothelial cell transport and 33% higher intra-tumor paclitaxel concentration in preclinical models of solid tumor xenografts promising an advantageous pharmacokinetic profile In sarcoma, nab-paclitaxel demonstrated preclinical anti-tumor activity in rhabdomyosarcoma xenograft model. Local relapsed tumors following paclitaxel treatment proved to be paclitaxel-resistant but remained responsive to nab-paclitaxel. These findings provide the rationale for further evaluation of nab-paclitaxel in combination with gemcitabine for soft tissue sarcoma treatment.