Ning Zhou1,2, Reinhold Schäfer2, Tao Li3, Meiyu Fang4, Luying Liu5. 1. Department of Abdominal Radiotherapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310022, People's Republic of China. 2. Comprehensive Cancer Center, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117, Berlin, Germany. 3. Department of Bone and Soft-tissue Surgery, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310022, People's Republic of China. 4. Department of Integration of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310022, People's Republic of China. 5. Department of Abdominal Radiotherapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310022, People's Republic of China. liuly@zjcc.org.cn.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: High-grade spindle cell sarcomas are a subtype of rare, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas (UPSs) for which diagnosis is difficult and no specific treatment strategies have been established. The limited published data on UPSs suggest an aggressive clinical course, high rates of local recurrence and distant metastasis, and poor prognosis. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we present the unusual case of a 45-year-old male patient with a lumbosacral UPS extending into the sacrum. An initial diagnosis of a low-grade malignant spindle cell tumor was based on a tumor core biopsy. After complete extensive resection, the diagnosis of an UPS of the lumbosacral region was confirmed by excluding other types of cancers. Despite treatment with neoadjuvant radiotherapy, extensive resection, and adjuvant chemotherapy, the patient presented with multiple pulmonary metastases 3 months after surgery. The patient then began treatment with crizotinib at an oral dose of 450 mg per day, based on the detection of a LMNA-NTRK1 fusion gene in the tumor by next-generation sequencing. Over 18 months of follow-up through July 2018, the patient maintained a near-complete clinical response to crizotinib. CONCLUSIONS: The LMNA-NTRK1 fusion was likely the molecular driver of tumorigenesis and metastasis in this patient, and the observed effectiveness of crizotinib treatment provides clinical validation of this molecular target. Molecular and cytogenetic evaluations are critical to accurate prognosis and treatment planning in cases of UPS, especially when treatment options are limited or otherwise exhausted. Molecularly targeted therapy of these rare but aggressive lesions represents a novel treatment option that may lead to fewer toxic side effects and better clinical outcomes.
BACKGROUND: High-grade spindle cell sarcomas are a subtype of rare, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas (UPSs) for which diagnosis is difficult and no specific treatment strategies have been established. The limited published data on UPSs suggest an aggressive clinical course, high rates of local recurrence and distant metastasis, and poor prognosis. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we present the unusual case of a 45-year-old male patient with a lumbosacral UPS extending into the sacrum. An initial diagnosis of a low-grade malignant spindle cell tumor was based on a tumor core biopsy. After complete extensive resection, the diagnosis of an UPS of the lumbosacral region was confirmed by excluding other types of cancers. Despite treatment with neoadjuvant radiotherapy, extensive resection, and adjuvant chemotherapy, the patient presented with multiple pulmonary metastases 3 months after surgery. The patient then began treatment with crizotinib at an oral dose of 450 mg per day, based on the detection of a LMNA-NTRK1 fusion gene in the tumor by next-generation sequencing. Over 18 months of follow-up through July 2018, the patient maintained a near-complete clinical response to crizotinib. CONCLUSIONS: The LMNA-NTRK1 fusion was likely the molecular driver of tumorigenesis and metastasis in this patient, and the observed effectiveness of crizotinib treatment provides clinical validation of this molecular target. Molecular and cytogenetic evaluations are critical to accurate prognosis and treatment planning in cases of UPS, especially when treatment options are limited or otherwise exhausted. Molecularly targeted therapy of these rare but aggressive lesions represents a novel treatment option that may lead to fewer toxic side effects and better clinical outcomes.
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