Researchers looked at 27 patients with Ewing's sarcoma treated at a single center in North Africa between 2018 and 2024. The team evaluated a protocol that compressed the usual chemotherapy schedule to see if it was feasible and effective. The patients received drugs including vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and etoposide. The average time between treatment cycles was about 20 days.
The study found that most patients, 89%, experienced high-grade toxicities, primarily involving low white blood cell counts. Only 11% of patients maintained a high enough dose intensity of the drugs. While the median overall survival was 32 months, the 3-year survival rate was 36.9% and the 3-year event-free survival rate was 19.9%. A high relapse rate of 67% was also observed.
Because this was a small, retrospective study from one institution, the results are limited. The data suggest that adapting this compressed regimen might help optimize treatment for some localized cases, but the high toxicity and lower survival outcomes mean caution is needed. More research is required before this approach can be widely recommended.