Increased local failure for patients with intermediate-risk rhabdomyosarcoma on ARST0531: A report from the Children’s Oncology Group. Cancer

Casey DL, Chi YY, Donaldson SS, Hawkins DS, Tian J, Arndt CA, Rodeberg DA, Routh JC, Lautz TB, Gupta AA, Yock TI, Wolden SL. Increased local failure for patients with intermediate-risk rhabdomyosarcoma on ARST0531: A report from the Children’s Oncology Group. Cancer. 2019 Sep 15;125(18):3242-3248. doi: 10.1002/cncr.32204. Epub 2019 Jun 7. PMID: 31174239; PMCID: PMC6717036.

To evaluate local control for patients with intermediate-risk rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) treated on Children’s Oncology Group (COG) protocol ARST0531. We analyzed 424 patients with intermediate-risk RMS. Patients were randomized to chemotherapy with either vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) or VAC alternating with vincristine and irinotecan. With the goal of improving local control, radiation therapy (RT) was delivered early at week 4 and was concurrent with irinotecan on the experimental arm. Individualized local control plans for children ≤24 months were allowed. Local failure (LF) on ARST0531 was compared to LF on the preceding COG intermediate-risk study, D9803.