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PALETTE Pazopanib — SCE Medical Oncology MCQ

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ModerateSarcomaPALETTE PazopanibSCE Medical Oncology

A 55-year-old woman with advanced sarcoma (leiomyosarcoma) progresses on doxorubicin. She is offered pazopanib. What does the PALETTE trial establish?

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Correct answer: C — PALETTE showed pazopanib improved PFS (4.6 vs 1.6 months) compared with placebo in advanced non-adipocytic STS after prior chemotherapy — a modest but meaningful benefit; OS improvement was not statistically significant

PALETTE (NICE TA475) established pazopanib as a NICE-approved option for advanced non-adipocytic soft tissue sarcoma after prior chemotherapy. PFS improvement was modest (4.6 vs 1.6 months) but clinically meaningful for patients with limited options. OS did not reach statistical significance. Pazopanib is specifically approved for non-adipocytic STS (excluding liposarcoma — for which eribulin has shown OS benefit per ESMO guidelines). Common toxicities: hypertension, hepatotoxicity, diarrhoea, fatigue.

Reference: NICE TA475 Pazopanib; PALETTE van der Graaf et al Lancet 2012; ESMO 2024 STS