Current Research

Research for EFT is ongoing. The following advances may still be under investigation in clinical trials and may not be approved or available at this time. Always discuss all diagnostic and treatment options with your child's doctor.

Allogeneic SCT. In an allogeneic (ALLO) SCT, the person is treated with high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to kill as many cancer cells as possible and to prevent the person's immune system from rejecting the donated stem cells. After the high-dose therapy is given, stem cells obtained from a healthy donor (usually a sibling) are infused into the patient's bloodstream. Allogeneic SCTs combined with sirolimus (Rapamune, Rapamycin) and other agents have shown to inhibit growth of Ewing's cells in the laboratory.

Bilateral lung radiation. The effectiveness of bilateral lung radiation is being examined in patients with metastatic Ewing's sarcoma. In this treatment, radiation therapy is given to the lungs after completion of chemotherapy and, in some cases, autologous (AUTO) stem cell transplant is recommended. Another study is looking at combining anti-angiogenic therapy (the use of drugs that block the formation of new blood vessels that are needed for a tumor to grow and spread) with standard treatment in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic Ewing's sarcoma.

Insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 (IGF-1R) antibodies. This is a new class of drugs that is being studied in people with recurrent EFT and will also be studied in combination with chemotherapy in treating recurrent EFT.