This multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label, prospective clinical trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of doxorubicin hydrochloride liposome injection in combination with irinotican (AI regimen) versus VIT regimen in the treatment of relapsed and refractory pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma.

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the objective response rate (ORR) of relapsed and refractory rhabdomyosarcoma in children after 2 cycles of chemotherapy with AI or VIT regimens. Secondary objectives were to evaluate the disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety of AI and VIT regimen in the treatment of relapsed and refractory pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma.

Inclusion Criteria

1. 6 months ≤age≤18 years, no gender limitation;
2. The Karnofsky (≥16 years old) or Lansky (< 16 years old) physical status score is at least 50;
3. The expected survival time is not less than 12 weeks;
4. Heart function: A) Cardiac COLOR ultrasound detection LVEF≥ 50%; B) EKG suggests no myocardial ischemia;C) No history of arrhythmia requiring drug intervention before enrollment;
5. Patients who meet the clinical diagnostic criteria and are diagnosed with pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma;
6. Patients who have progressed, relapsed or refractory after treatment (failed to achieve complete or partial response after recent treatment);
7. Measurable lesions (according to RECIST 1.1 standards, CT scan length of tumor lesions ≥10mm, CT scan short diameter of lymph node lesions ≥15mm, measurable lesions have not received radiotherapy, freezing and other local treatments);
8. The patient must fully recover from the acute toxic effects of all previous anticancer chemotherapy: A) Myelosuppressive chemotherapy: at least 21 days after the last myelosuppressive chemotherapy (42 days if nitrosourea was used previously);B) Experimental drug or anticancer therapy other than chemotherapy: not available within the first 28 days of planned initiation of AI or VIT. Complete recovery from clinically significant toxicity of the therapy must be determined;C) Hematopoietic growth factor: at least 14 days after the last administration of long-acting growth factor or 3 days after the last administration of short-acting growth factor;D) Immunotherapy: at least 42 days after completion of any type of immunotherapy (except steroids), such as immune checkpoint inhibitors and tumor vaccines; E) X-ray therapy (XRT) : at least 14 days after local palliative XRT (small mouth); For other substantial bone marrow (BM) irradiation, it must be completed for at least 42 days; F) Stem cell infusion without total body irradiation (TBI) : there is no evidence of active graft-versus-host disease and the transplant or stem cell infusion must be completed at least 56 days after the infusion;
9. Laboratory tests during screening should meet the following conditions: A) Absolute value of neutrophils (ANC) ≥1.5×109/L (if bone marrow invasion, ANC≥1.0×109/L); B) Platelet count (PLT) ≥75×109/L (PLT≥50×109/L for bone marrow invasion); C) Bilirubin (sum of combined + uncombined) ≤ 2.5× upper limit of normal value (ULN) (corresponding to age), patients with confirmed Gilbert's syndrome can be included in the group according to the investigator's judgment; D) Estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥30 mL/min/1.73 m2 or serum creatinine (Cr) ≤ 1.5ULN (calculated according to the standard Cockcroft-Gault formula); E) Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 2.5×ULN (5 times ULN if liver metastasis is present)
10. Able to comply with outpatient treatment, laboratory monitoring and necessary clinical visits during the study period;
11. The parent/guardian of the child or adolescent subject is capable of understanding, agreeing to, and signing the study Informed consent (ICF) and the applicable child consent form prior to initiating any program-related procedures; Subject is capable of expressing consent with parental/guardian consent (if applicable).

Exclusion criteria

1. Patients who had previously received irinotecan combined with temozolomide and vincristine, or who had progressed after treatment with irinotecan or temozolomide, or who had previously received doxorubicin hydrochloride liposome injection chemotherapy;
2. Patients with central nervous system metastases;
3. P450 enzyme-induced anticonvulsants (anticonvulsants affect irinotecan clearance);
4. Previous or concurrent clinical significance of active cardiovascular diseases, including congenital heart disease or pericardial disease, history of heart failure, myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, heart valvular disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias (including persistent atrial fibrillation, complete left bundle branch block, frequent ventricular premature onset); Or prolonged QT interval (QTc) after current corrected heart rate > 480 ms; Patients with grade III ~ IV cardiac insufficiency according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification (age > 3 years) or infant cardiac function standard (age ≤3 years), or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50% as indicated by color doppler echocardiography;
5. Severe chronic skin diseases in the past;
6. Previous allergic asthma or severe allergic disease;
7. Poorly controlled hypertension and diabetes;
8. Have a history of other tumors, except cured cervical cancer or basal cell carcinoma of the skin;
9. Hepatitis B surface antigen positive patients;
10. HIV or syphilis infected patients;
11. Patients who have previously received organ transplants;
12. Uncontrolled and active systemic bacterial, viral or fungal infection;
13. Contraindications to the use of large doses of hormones, such as uncontrolled hyperglycemia, gastric ulcers or mental diseases;
14. Patients who had used doxorubicin at a cumulative dose of ≥450 mg/m2, or epirubicin at a cumulative dose of ≥ 550 mg/m2, or who had used anthracyclines in the past to induce heart disease;
15. Have a history of severe neurological or psychiatric disorders, including epilepsy or autism.