Results from a pre-clinical study of eribulin (Halaven) in human soft tissue sarcoma (STS) cell lines presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2016, New Orleans, USA showed antiproliferative activity in xenografts of Ewing's sarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma and fibrosarcoma and improved tumour blood supply in a leiomyosarcoma model.

This may decrease the risk of tumour metastatic potential in certain soft tissue sarcomas.

“These data support the antimitotic effect and complex non-mitotic effect of eribulin mesilate in soft tissue sarcoma models. Eribulin showed antiproliferative activity, in vitro and in vivo, and might cause differentiation of STS cells. It also showed improved vascular perfusion, which might be caused by remodelling of tumour vasculature. This may decrease tumour metastatic potency in STS,” commented Junji Matsui, Senior Director, Eisai.

The study explored morphological changes in three STS cell lines, gene expression analysis in two cell lines, and blood perfusion in one cell line.

Data for blood perfusion show that eribulin may lead to remodelling of the tumour vasculature, resulting in an oxygenated environment.

Cancer cells thrive in a deoxygenated (hypoxic) environment and therefore improving tumour perfusion may lead to a decrease in tumour metastatic potency.

The data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting are consistent with the proposed mode of action of eribulin and offer further insights into the role of eribulin in reducing the metastatic potential in STS.

Only 50% of people with soft tissue sarcomas are expected to live five years 29,000 people are diagnosed with soft tissue sarcomas each year, approximately 1% of all cancers diagnosed in Europe.

In April 2016 the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion for eribulin for the treatment of adults with unresectable locally advanced liposarcoma (adipocytic sarcomas) who have received a prior anthracycline-containing regimen.

In January 2016 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved eribulin for the treatment of people in the US with unresectable or metastatic liposarcoma who have received a prior anthracycline-containing regimen.

Licence was granted in Japan to extend the indication of eribulin to treat patients with soft tissue sarcomas in February 2016.

Source: Eisai