Efficacy and Tolerability of Pazopanib in Elderly Patients with Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A Multicentre Real-World Study from Turkey

Background: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) disproportionately affect older adults, yet patients aged ≥65 years remain markedly underrepresented in pivotal trials, limiting evidence on pazopanib in this population. We aimed to characterise the real-world efficacy and safety of pazopanib in elderly patients with advanced STS. Methods: This multicentre retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients aged ≥65 years with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic STS who received pazopanib between July 2010 and June 2022 at four tertiary Turkish oncology centres. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS); secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and the safety profile. Results: A total of 109 patients (median age, 70 years; 50.5% female; 48.6% with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group [ECOG] performance status ≥ 2) were analysed. The objective response rate was 11.0% (95% CI, 5.8–18.4), and the disease control rate was 45.9%. Median PFS was 4.11 months (95% CI, 3.25–4.47), and median OS was 7.85 months (95% CI, 6.91–9.00) over a median follow-up of 17.6 months. PFS showed a borderline difference across age tertiles (log-rank p = 0.078), whereas a marked monotonic OS gradient was observed (9.00, 7.86, and 5.71 months for ages 65–69, 70–74, and ≥75 years, respectively; p < 0.001). In age-stratified multivariable Cox analysis, ECOG ≥ 2 (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.68; 95% CI, 1.01–2.80; p = 0.045) and female sex (aHR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.02–2.72; p = 0.043) were independently associated with shorter OS. Grade ≥ 3 treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 27.5% of patients, most commonly hypertension. Because only the single most clinically prominent treatment-emergent adverse event per patient was recorded, these figures represent a conservative, non-cumulative estimate of toxicity. No treatment-related deaths occurred. Conclusions: Pazopanib retains clinically meaningful activity in unselected patients aged ≥65 years with advanced STS. Performance status, rather than chronological age, is the dominant predictor of overall survival and should guide treatment decisions in this population.