Dr. LoRusso on the Benefit of Genetic Sequencing in Sarcomas

Patricia LoRusso, DO, professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), associate cancer center director, Experimental Therapeutics, Yale School of Medicine, discusses the benefit of genetic sequencing in soft tissue sarcomas.

Because there are many different subtypes of sarcomas, it is a unique disease, LoRusso says. Oftentimes, this can create a challenge for clinicians to identify the exact subtype of a specific patient’s sarcoma, LoRusso adds. However, genetic sequencing of tumors has helped better identify sarcoma subtypes, and this can be done along with other routine pathologic assays that are conducted for patients, LoRusso explains.

For patients with MDM2-amplified dedifferentiated soft tissue sarcomas, there is not a preferred standard of care, though anthracycline is considered one of primary treatments, LoRusso continues. However, these patients have limited treatment options, and they are often referred to an early phase clinical trial, LoRusso concludes.