Phase II evaluation of AMSA in adult sarcomas

AMSA, an acridine derivative, was administered to 35 adults with previously treated advanced sarcomas. Patients with adequate bone marrow reserve received 120-150 mg/m² of AMSA as a single dose repeated every 3 weeks. Patients with inadequate bone marrow reserve received 100-120 mg/m² of AMSA. Among 31 evaluable patients, there was one partial response that lasted 6 months in a patient with intra-abdominal malignant fibrous histiocytoma with liver metastases. Thirteen patients had stable disease with a median time to disease progression of 5 months (range, 2-13), while 17 patients demonstrated progressive disease with a median time to disease progression of 2 months (range, 1-3). The median survival time for the 31 evaluable patients in this study was 5 months. The toxic effects were mild and included myelosuppression, nausea and vomiting, fever of unknown origin, and fatigue. At the dose and schedule used in this study, AMSA does not appear to have any significant activity in advanced sarcomas of adults.