Cixutumumab and Temsirolimus in Treating Younger Patients With Recurrent or Refractory Sarcoma

This phase II trial studies how well cixutumumab and temsirolimus work in treating patients with recurrent or refractory sarcoma. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cixutumumab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Temsirolimus may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving cixutumumab and temsirolimus together may kill more tumor cells.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the objective response rate to the combination of cixutumumab and temsirolimus in patients with relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, or non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma. II. To further describe the toxicities (including dose-limiting toxicities) of cixutumumab and temsirolimus administered on this schedule. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To assess the progression-free survival for patients treated in each disease stratum with this drug combination. II. To assess the incidence of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R), insulin receptor, ERK, RON, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway activation in archival tumor material, and correlate with response. III. To evaluate minimal residual disease and IGF-1R tumor cell expression in the blood and bone marrow of Ewing sarcoma patients using flow cytometry. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to diagnosis (osteosarcoma vs Ewing sarcoma/PNET vs rhabdomyosarcoma vs non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma). Patients receive cixutumumab IV over 1 hour and temsirolimus IV over 30 minutes on days 1, 8, 15, and 22. Treatment repeats every 28 days for up to 25 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Archived tumor tissue samples from most recent biopsy are collected and analyzed for IGF-1R, insulin receptor, AKT, ERK, mTOR, and S6 kinase pathway activation by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and banked for future correlative studies. Blood and bone marrow samples, from patients with Ewing sarcoma, may be collected at baseline and periodically during treatment for minimal residual disease analysis by flow cytometry. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up periodically for 5 years.