Localized Ewing tumor of bone:: Final results of the cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study CESS 86

Purpose: Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study (CESS) 86 aimed at improving event-free survival (EFS) in patients with high-risk localized Ewing tumor of bone. Patients and Methods: We analyzed 301 patients recruited from January 1986 to July 1991 (60% male; median age 15 years). Tumors of volume >100 mt and/or at central-axis sites qualified patients for "high risk" (HR, n = 241), and small extremity lesions for "standard risk" (SR, n = 52). Standard-risk patients received 12 courses of vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin alternating with actinomycin D (VACA); HR patients received ifosfamide instead of cyclophosphamide (VAIA). Tumor sites were pelvis (27%), other central axis (28%), femur(19%), or other extremity (26%). The initial tumor volume was < 100 mL in 33% of cases and <greater than or equal to>100 mt in 67%. Local therapy was surgery (23%), surgery plus radiotherapy (49%), or radiotherapy alone (28%). Event-free survival rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analyses, comparisons were done by log rank test, and risk factors were analyzed by Cox models. Results: On May 1, 1999 (median time under study, 133 months), the 10-year EFS was 0.52. Event-free survival did not differ between SR-VACA (0.52) and HR VAIA (0.51, P = .92). Tumor volume of >200 mt (EFS, 0.36 v 0.63 for smaller tumors; P = .0001) and poor histologic response (EFS, 0.38 v 0.64 for good responders; P = .0007) had negative impacts on EFS, In multivariate analyses, small tumor volumes of <200 mL, good histologic response, and VAIA chemotherapy augured for fair outcome. Six of 301 patients (2%) died under treatment, and four patients (1.3%) developed second malignancies. Conclusion: Fifty-two percent of CESS 86 patients survived after risk-adapted therapy. High-risk patients seem to have benefited from intensified treatment that incorporated ifosfamide. <(c)> 2001 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.