In the fall of 2015, the United States joined the growing list of countries in which trabectedin, a novel form of chemotherapy, is approved for the treatment of certain types of advanced soft tissue sarcoma. The drug, a synthetic derivative of a compound originally isolated from a sea squirt, has a complex mechanism of action that distinguishes it from other cytotoxic drugs, allowing it to target both the tumor and its microenvironment. Based on the results of a randomized, open-label, multicenter phase 3 clinical trial, trabectedin received regulatory approval for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic liposarcoma or leiomyosarcoma.
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