Sarcoma is a rare cancer of bone and soft tissue, with over 70 subtypes ranging from osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma in bone to leiomyosarcoma and liposarcoma in muscle and fat. Treatment typically involves surgery, often with radiation or chemotherapy, but outcomes vary widely by subtype. New targeted drugs and immunotherapies are changing care for some sarcomas, though many subtypes still rely on older chemotherapy regimens.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing checkpoint inhibitors that help the immune system attack tumors, targeted drugs for sarcomas with specific gene changes, and adoptive cell therapies that engineer immune cells to recognize sarcoma. Researchers are also studying combinations that pair immunotherapy with radiation or targeted drugs, and drugs that block how sarcomas build new blood vessels.
Targeted therapies for specific mutations
Drugs targeting NTRK fusions, ALK fusions, and other genetic changes are showing responses in sarcomas that carry those alterations. These precision approaches work regardless of the sarcoma subtype, based on the tumor's molecular profile.
Immunotherapy combinations
Checkpoint inhibitors alone help only a minority of sarcomas, but trials are testing them with radiation, chemotherapy, or other immune drugs. Early results suggest combinations may work where single-agent immunotherapy does not.
Adoptive cell therapy
Engineered T cells targeting specific proteins on sarcoma cells are being tested in trials. These therapies have shown responses in synovial sarcoma and are expanding to other subtypes.
What to know before you search
Eligibility depends on sarcoma subtype, whether the tumor has spread, prior treatments, and sometimes the presence of specific genetic changes in the tumor.
What types of trials are currently open
- Targeted therapy trials — Testing drugs that block specific mutations or pathways in sarcoma cells, often requiring genetic testing of the tumor to see if it carries the target.
- Immunotherapy trials — Testing checkpoint inhibitors, engineered T cells, or other immune approaches, sometimes in combination with radiation or chemotherapy.
- Chemotherapy trials — Testing new chemotherapy drugs or combinations, particularly for sarcomas that spread or return after surgery.
- Surgery and radiation studies — Trials testing new surgical techniques, radiation schedules, or ways to combine local treatments with systemic drugs.
- Observational studies — Following people with rare sarcoma subtypes to understand natural history, patterns of spread, and factors that predict treatment response.
Recently added Sarcoma trials
Take a modified chemotherapy regimen for relapsed lymphoma
This Phase III randomized controlled trial evaluates the effectiveness and toxicity profile of a modified DHAP regimen compared to the standard DHAP regimen in adult patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The DHAP regimen (cisplatin, cytarabine, dexamethasone) is widely used as salvage therapy but is associated with significant toxicities, including renal dysfunction and severe myelosuppression. The modified DHAP protocol fractionates cisplatin and cytarabine administration to reduce nephrotoxicity, improve tolerability, and potentially allow outpatient treatment. A total of 74 patients will be randomized (37 per arm) to receive either the modified or standard DHAP regimen. The primary endpoint is overall response rate (ORR) assessed by RECIL 2017 criteria. Secondary endpoints include progression-free survival (PFS), toxicity incidence and severity graded by CTCAE, and quality of life measured by EORTC QLQ-C30. The study anticipates that the modified DHAP regimen will demonstrate comparable or superior efficacy with reduced severe toxicities, shorter hospital stays, and improved patient satisfaction. Findings may support transitioning DHAP into outpatient administration, optimizing healthcare resource utilization in Pakistan.
Stress and Anxiety Before Biopsy, After Biopsy Results, and During Treatment in Patients With Suspected Bone or Soft Tissue Cancer
This prospective observational study will follow adults who are scheduled for a clinically indicated biopsy because of a suspected solid tumor involving bone or soft tissue. The period before biopsy, the disclosure of pathology results, and the start of treatment may be associated with changing levels of psychological stress and anxiety. The purpose of the study is to compare psychological stress and anxiety in the same participants at three points in their care: before biopsy, after the pathology result or diagnosis is explained, and at treatment initiation. The investigators hypothesize that psychological questionnaire scores will differ across these three time points and may be associated with age, sex, disease stage, metastasis status, and treatment type. Participants will complete the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Distress Thermometer. The study team will also collect relevant demographic and routine clinical information from medical records. The study will not assign any biopsy, diagnostic procedure, or treatment. All diagnostic and treatment decisions will be made by the treating clinical team as part of routine care.
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