Acute renal failure: a rare side effect of sunitinib therapy

Sunitinib is an oral multiple tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitor. It is usually well tolerated but can cause fatigue, malaise, and rash. Sunitinib-induced cardiotoxicity has been well described, but nephrotoxicity is very rare. Here, we report a rare case of acute renal failure caused by sunitinib therapy in a 73-year-old Caucasian female who was enrolled in a phase II trial of sunitinib therapy for clear cell ovarian cancer. At presentation, her blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was 91 mg/dl and creatinine was 9.2 mg/dl. Sunitinib therapy was discontinued, and she was treated conservatively with intravenous fluid. Creatinine gradually returned to normal, and fatigue resolved. She was diagnosed with sunitinib-induced acute renal failure. The nephrologists and oncologists should be aware of sunitinib-induced rare nephrotoxicity, and patients should be closely monitored.