Background: Alpelisib (a-selective phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor) plus fulvestrant is approved in multiple countries for men and postmenopausal women with PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer following progression on or after endocrine therapy. A detailed understanding of alpelisib's safety profile should inform adverse event (AE) management and enhance patient care. Patients and methods: AEs in the phase III SOLAR-1 trial were assessed in patients with and without PIK3CA mutations. The impact of protocol-specified AE-management recommendations was evaluated, including an amendment to optimize hyperglycemia and rash management. Results: Patients were randomly assigned to receive fulvestrant plus alpelisib (n ¼ 284) or placebo (n ¼ 287). The most common grade 3/4 AEs with alpelisib were hyperglycemia (grade 3, 32.7%; grade 4, 3.9%), rash (grade 3, 9.9%), and diarrhea (grade 3, 6.7%). Median time to onset of grade !3 toxicity was 15 days (hyperglycemia, based on fasting plasma glucose), 13 days (rash), and 139 days (diarrhea). Metformin alone or in combination with other antidiabetic agents was used by most patients (87.1%) with hyperglycemia. Preventive anti-rash medication resulted in lower incidence (any grade, 26.7% versus 64.1%) and severity of rash (grade 3, 11.6% versus 22.7%) versus no preventative medication. Discontinuations due to grade !3 AEs were lower following more-detailed AE management guidelines (7.9% versus 18.1% previously). Patients with PIK3CA mutations had a median alpelisib dose intensity of 248 mg/day. Median progression-free survival with alpelisib was 12.5 and 9.6 months for alpelisib dose intensities of !248 mg/day and <248 mg/day, respectively, compared with 5.8 months with placebo. Conclusions: Hyperglycemia and rash occurred early during alpelisib treatment, while diarrhea occurred at a later time point. Early identification, prevention, and intervention, including concomitant medications and alpelisib dose modifications, resulted in less severe toxicities. Reductions in treatment discontinuations and improved progressionfree survival at higher alpelisib dose intensities support the need for optimal AE management. ClinicalTrials.gov Id: NCT02437318.

At a longer FU, the non-inferiority of three cycles of a full-dose conventional CT in comparison to five is confirmed. Response to therapy is also confirmed to be associated with better survival. This regimen is currently tested within an ongoing international trial against three cycles of a neoadjuvant histology-tailored CT (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01710176).

Soft-tissue sarcomas constitute an uncommon and heterogeneous group of tumors of mesenchymal origin. Diagnosis, treatment, and management should be performed by an expert multidisciplinary team. MRI/CT of the primary tumor and biopsy is mandatory before any treatment. Wide surgical resection with tumor-free tissue margin is the mainstay for localized disease. Radiotherapy is indicated in large, deep, high-grade tumors, or after marginal resection not suitable for re-excision. Perioperative chemotherapy should be discussed for high-risk sarcomas of the extremities and trunk-wall. In the case of oligometastatic disease, patients should be considered for local therapies. First-line treatment with anthracyclines (or in combination with ifosfamide) is the treatment of choice. Other drugs have shown activity in second-line therapy and in specific histological subtypes but options are limited and thus, a clinical trial should always be discussed.

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Soft-tissue sarcomas are uncommon and heterogeneous tumors of mesenchymal origin. A soft-tissue mass that is increasing in size, greater than 5 cm, or located under deep fascia are criteria for suspicion of sarcoma. Diagnosis, treatment, and management should preferably be performed by a multidisciplinary team in reference centers. MRI and lung CT scan are mandatory for local and distant assessment. A biopsy indicating histological type and grade is needed previous to the treatment. Wide surgical resection with tumor-free tissue margin is the primary treatment for localized disease. Radiotherapy is indicated in large, deep, high-grade tumors, or after marginal resection not likely of being improved with reexcision. Neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy improve survival in selected cases, usually in high-grade sarcomas of the extremities. In the case of metastatic disease, patients with exclusive lung metastasis could be considered for surgery. First-line treatment with anthracyclines (or in combination with ifosfamide) is the treatment of choice. New drugs have shown activity in second-line therapy and in specific histological subtypes.