title: Off-label use of sunitinib in patients with advanced, epithelial thyroid cancer: a retrospective analysis.
abstract: Tyrosine kinase receptors play an important role in tumor angiogenesis and, their implication in epithelial thyroid tumor growth has been highlighted. Sunitinib is a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor, approved in 2006 by Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of advanced renal cell and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Preliminary promising results have been also obtained in patients with RAI-resistant thyroid neoplasia. In the current study, our experience on 9 patients with advanced thyroid epithelial cancer is analyzed and discussed in relation to the new patents in this field. According to RECIST criteria, partial response was obtained in 5/9 (55.5%) patients at 3 months and in 6/9 (66.6%) at 6 months. Median treatment follow-up was 13.0 months and median overall survival and progression-free survival were 20 [95% confidence interval (CI) 9.3 - 30.6] and 21 months (95% CI 6.9 - 35.1), respectively. One case of severe thoracic hemorrhage was observed, the most common adverse events being represented by fatigue, (44.4% ), skin rash (33.3% ), headache (33.3% ), and one case each of hypertension, macrocytosis and acute pneumonia. These results confirm sunitinib as a potential useful tool for the treatment of advanced thyroid cancers and may open the way for new patents of molecules with more specific target selectivity.
authors.affiliation: Geriatrics Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pasqualetti
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boni
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tognini
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polini
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferdeghini
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Monzani
mesh_terms: D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000231:Adenocarcinoma, Papillary / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002277:Carcinoma; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000188:drug therapy; D056687:Off-Label Use; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000077210:Sunitinib; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007211:Indoles; D011758:Pyrroles; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D000077210:Sunitinib