Sunitinib for the management of advanced renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Targeted agents, such as sunitinib (SUTENT^®) have become central to the management of advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Sunitinib is an oral, multitargeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of mRCC in multiple clinical trials. In a Phase III trial in previously untreated patients with mRCC, sunitinib was associated with median progression-free survival of 11 months, which was more than double that observed with interferon-α (5 months; p < 0.001). As a result, sunitinib is recommended in international treatment guidelines and is considered a reference standard of care in the first-line setting for patients at favorable or intermediate prognostic risk. Sunitinib is generally well tolerated with a predictable adverse-event profile; the majority of adverse events can be managed with standard medical intervention. This paper presents an overview of data supporting the use of sunitinib for mRCC, and considers the optimal management of sunitinib in clinical practice.

Keywords::

• kidney cancer
• metastatic
• PDGF
• renal cell carcinoma
• sunitinib
• tyrosine kinase inhibitor
• VEGF

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Bernard Escudier has acted as an advisor for Pfizer, Inc. on several occasions. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript. Medical writing support was provided by Joanna Hulme at ACUMED (Tytherington, UK) and was funded by Pfizer Inc.