In a recent study, the addition of olaratumab to doxorubicin chemotherapy for patients with soft-tissue sarcoma resulted in prolongation of progression-free survival by only 2.5 months, but an overall survival benefit of 11.8 months; the large disparity between these outcomes raises important questions. We discuss these results in relation to those of other trials, and the implications for sarcoma therapy.
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I.J. has received an honorarium from Eli Lilly for attendance at an advisory board meeting; however, the views expressed in this article are his own. I.J. has also received honoraria from Amgen, Ariad, Bayer, Clinigen, GSK, Nektar, and PharmaMar. W.T.v.d.G. has received a speakers' fee from Eli Lilly for an educational presentation on sarcoma, and has received research grants from GSK and Novartis.
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Judson, I., van der Graaf, W. Olaratumab — really a breakthrough for soft-tissue sarcomas?. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 13, 534–536 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2016.123
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2016.123
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