J Korean Orthop Assoc.  2023 Dec;58(6):476-484. 10.4055/jkoa.2023.58.6.476 .

Perspectives of Targeted Therapies for Sarcomas

• Kim SH
• Park MC

• KMID: 2549822
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4055/jkoa.2023.58.6.476

Abstract

Sarcomas are rare malignancies of mesenchymal origin tumors, with a large heterogeneity of tumor cells, resulting in a variable and unpredictable response to conventional chemotherapy. For this reason, the introduction of chemotherapy to treat sarcomas since the 2000s has improved the survival rate dramatically, but the improvement in the survival rate is currently stagnant. Many targeted agents with molecular inhibitory mechanisms have been used to treat various cancers with favorable outcomes. Examples include gefitinib and erlotinib for lung cancer and imatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Under these circumstances, some targeted agents have been approved for treating of sarcomas as second-line agents or alternatives to conventional chemotherapy for sarcomas. Representative molecular inhibitory mechanisms applied for sarcoma treatment include the inhibition of angiogenesis, immunotherapy, and inhibition of neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms of action of these targeted agents and discuss their application and clinical outcomes in sarcoma treatment, which is expected to help improve the survival rate of sarcoma patients.

Keyword

sarcoma; targeted agent; angiogenesis; immunotherapy; neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase