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Molecular basis for sunitinib efficacy and future clinical development

Sandrine Faivre1, George Demetri, William Sargent

  • 1Service Inter-Hospitalier de Cancérologie (SIHC) Beaujon-Bichat and RayLab, Hôpital Beaujon, APHP and Denis Diderot University, 100 Boulevard du Général Leclerc, 92118 Clichy Cedex, France.

Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery
|August 11, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Sunitinib malate, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, shows efficacy in advanced renal cell carcinoma and imatinib-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Its development highlights challenges in targeted cancer therapy, including response markers and resistance.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Sunitinib malate (SU11248/Sutent) is a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
  • It exhibits significant anti-angiogenic and antitumour activities.
  • Approved for advanced renal cell carcinoma and imatinib-refractory gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize the discovery and development of sunitinib.
  • To discuss the multitargeted approach in cancer treatment.
  • To explore markers of response and resistance for future drug development.

Main Methods:

  • Review of preclinical and clinical data on sunitinib.
  • Analysis of efficacy in advanced renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
  • Discussion of challenges in multitargeted cancer therapy.

Main Results:

  • Sunitinib demonstrates definitive efficacy in specific cancer indications.
  • Regulatory approvals have been granted based on demonstrated efficacy.
  • Key issues for multitargeted therapy include response markers and resistance.

Conclusions:

  • Sunitinib represents a significant advancement in targeted cancer therapy.
  • Understanding resistance mechanisms is crucial for optimizing sunitinib's use.
  • Further research into multikinase inhibitors is warranted.

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