SFT is an ultrarare mesenchymal ubiquitous tumor, with an incidence rate <1 case/million people/year. The fifth WHO classification published in April 2020 subdivided SFT into three categories: benign (locally aggressive), NOS (rarely metastasizing), and malignant. Recurrence can occur in up to 10–40% of localized SFTs, and several risk stratification models have been proposed to predict the individual risk of metastatic relapse. The Demicco model is the most widely used and is based on age at presentation, tumor size, and mitotic count. Total en bloc resection is the standard treatment of patients with a localized SFT; in case of advanced disease, the clinical efficacy of conventional chemotherapy remains poor. In this review, we discuss new insights into the biology and the treatment of patients with SFT. NAB2–STAT6 oncogenic fusion, which is the pathognomonic hallmark of SFT, is supposedly involved in the overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). These specific biological features encouraged the successful assessment of antiangiogenic drugs. Overall, antiangiogenic therapies showed a significant activity toward SFT in the advanced/metastatic setting. Nevertheless, these promising results warrant additional investigation to be validated, including randomized phase III trials and biological translational analysis, to understand and predict mechanisms of efficacy and resistance. While the therapeutic potential of immunotherapy remains elusive, the use of antiangiogenics as first-line treatment should be considered.

Background: There is limited knowledge regarding the potential benefits of physical activity in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Objective: The Advanced stage Breast cancer and Lifestyle Exercise (ABLE) Trial aimed to assess the feasibility of a physical activity intervention in women with metastatic breast cancer and to explore the effects of physical activity on functional, psychological, and clinical parameters. Methods: The ABLE Trial was a single-arm, 6-month intervention study with a home-based, unsupervised, and personalized walking program using an activity tracker. At baseline and 6 months, we assessed anthropometrics, functional fitness, physical activity level, sedentary behavior, quality of life, fatigue, and tumor progression. Paired proportions were compared using the McNemar test and changes of parameters during the intervention were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the Mann-Whitney test, and Spearman rank correlations. Results: Overall, 49 participants (mean age 55 years; recruitment rate 94%) were enrolled and 96% adhered to the exercise prescription (attrition rate 2%). Statistically significant improvements in the 6-minute walking distance test (+7%, P<.001) and isometric quadriceps strength (+22%, P<.001), as well as decreases in body mass index (-2.5%, P=.03) and hip circumference (-4.0%, P<.001) were observed at 6 months. Quality of life remained stable and a nonstatistically significant decrease (-16%, P=.07) in fatigue was observed. Conclusions: The high recruitment and adherence rates suggest the willingness of patients with metastatic breast cancer to participate in a physical activity program. The beneficial outcomes regarding physical fitness and anthropometry of this unsupervised physical activity program may encourage these patients to maintain a physically active lifestyle. Future randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes are warranted. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03148886; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03148886

Ann Oncol 2019; (doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdz124 )

Soft tissue sarcomas are a group of rare and aggressive connective tissue neoplasms for which curative therapeutic opportunities are limited in advanced phase. Clinical trials assessing immunotherapy in these tumors have so far reported limited efficacy. The objective of this study is to provide a description of the immunologic landscape of sarcomas to guide the next clinical trials of immunotherapy in these diseases. The gene expression profile of 93 immune checkpoint (ICP) and membrane markers (MM) of immune cells was analyzed in a series of 253 soft tissue sarcoma (synovial sarcoma, myxoid liposarcoma, sarcoma with complex genomic and GIST) using Agilent Whole Human Genome Microarrays. The unsupervised hierarchical clustering of gene expression level was found able to properly group patients according to the histological subgroup of sarcoma, indicating that each sarcoma subgroup is associated with a specific immune signature defined by its gene expression pattern. Using the prognostic impact of CIBERSORT signature on metastatic-free survival in each subgroup, specific target could be proposed for each of the four groups: Treg through ICOS and GITR in GIST, M0 macrophages in all four sarcoma subtypes, OX40 in SS, CD40 in GIST and SS. The immune landscape of sarcoma was found to be as heterogeneous as the histotypes and molecular subtypes, but strongly correlated to the histotype. Histotype adapted immunotherapeutic approaches in each sarcoma subtypes must be considered in view of these results, consistently with the already reported specific response of histotypes of ICPs.

Giant-cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is a rare osteolytic tumor of the bone. Although classified as a benign tumor, GCTB is characterized by local aggressiveness and risk of local recurrence. In addition, GTCB can in some cases lead to the development of so-called 'benign' chest metastases. Surgical resection by intralesional curettage with high-speed burring and polymethylmethacrylate cement is the standard treatment for resectable tumors. In cases of metastatic or unresectable disease (when planned surgical procedure is impossible or would result in severe morbidity), medical treatments such as cytotoxic chemotherapy or interferon-α have limited efficacy. Bisphosphonates have been proposed as a therapeutic option to reduce osteoclast activity. In bone, various pathological states may result from an imbalance in the RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B)/RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand)/OPG (osteoprotegerin) pathway. Involvement of the RANKL pathway in pathogenesis of GCTB was first proposed in 2000. Denosumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds and inhibits RANKL, thereby preventing the activation of the RANK pathway. As it showed the possibility to counteract osteoclast activation in GCTB and prevent the known physiopathological role of RANKL, denosumab has been under evaluation in the clinic as a treatment for GCTB since 2005. Results of a first Phase II trial demonstrate the therapeutic potential of denosumab to inhibit progressive bone destruction and metastatic progression in patients with unsalvageable giant-cell tumor (GCT), and have also provided key insights into the biology of GCT. Denosumab is currently a therapeutic option for patients with unresectable GCTB but its place in the global therapeutic strategy has not yet been defined.