Efficacy and safety of angiogenesis inhibitors plus immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced soft tissue sarcoma: a real-world, single-center study

Angiogenesis inhibitors (AIs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are new treatment options for advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of AIs plus ICIs in patients with advanced STS. A retrospective cohort study was performed on STS patients treated with AIs and ICIs at Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute between August 2020 and December 2021. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR); secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), and adverse events. Thirty-three patients were enrolled; 27 were evaluable for objective response. The ORR and DCR were 48.1% (95% CI 30.7–66.0%) and 85.2% (95% CI 67.5–94.1%). With a median follow-up of 7.6 months (range, 0.8–25.5), the median PFS for all 33 patients was 8.90 months (95% CI 5.98–11.82). The median OS was not reached. The most common treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of any grade were hypertension (50.0%), ECG T-wave abnormality (30.0%), hypothyroidism (26.7%), elevated alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase (23.3%), elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (23.3%), and fatigue (16.7%). The most common grade 3–4 TRAE was hypertension (27.3%). Three serious TRAEs (two myocarditis and one rapid atrial fibrillation) were recorded. This study suggests that adding AIs to ICIs is beneficial in STS.