ASCO 2001 was a banner year for innovative systemic therapy for sarcomas. Imatinib mesylate (STI571, Gleevec) shows clear activity not only in chronic myelogenous leukemia, for which the drug received Food and Drug Administration approval, but also in gastrointestinal stromal tumors as well, by virtue of imatinib mesylate binding to the abl, kit, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases. Ecteinascidin-743 (ET-743) demonstrates activity against a fraction of other soft-tissue sarcomas. Gemcitabine-based regimens show at least some activity against a subset of soft-tissue sarcomas. Given the lack of new agents for sarcoma therapy since the development of ifosfamide, these studies give hope that the term "effective systemic therapy for sarcoma" might become a reality.
