Cutaneous Adverse Events of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Endocrine Tumors: Clinical Features, Mechanisms, and

Marta Marino1,2, Francois Rosset3, Alice Nervo2

  • 1Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.

Biomedicines
|December 30, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) cause skin issues in endocrine cancer patients. Proactive, multidisciplinary care and specific management strategies can mitigate these side effects, improving quality of life and treatment efficacy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Dermatology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are vital for endocrine malignancies but cause cutaneous adverse events (CAEs), impacting patient adherence and quality of life.
  • Common CAEs include hand-foot skin reaction, xerosis, paronychia, and impaired wound healing, alongside alopecia and mucositis.
  • Specific TKIs like vandetanib are linked to acneiform eruptions and photosensitivity due to EGFR/RET inhibition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize the dermatologic toxicities associated with TKIs in endocrine oncology.
  • To provide practical, multidisciplinary guidance for the prevention and management of these CAEs.
  • To integrate dermatologic and endocrine perspectives on TKI-induced skin toxicities.

Main Methods:

  • Narrative synthesis of clinical trial reports, post-marketing studies, and specialty guidelines.
  • Focus on TKIs such as lenvatinib, vandetanib, and cabozantinib.
  • Integration of dermatologic and endocrine expertise for mechanism and care pathway analysis.

Main Results:

  • VEGFR-targeted TKIs commonly induce hand-foot skin reactions, xerosis, fissuring, paronychia, and impaired wound healing.
  • Multikinase inhibition can lead to alopecia, pigmentary changes, and mucositis.
  • Early risk stratification, patient education, and prophylactic bundles (emollients, keratolytics, urea, sun protection) reduce CAE incidence and severity.

Conclusions:

  • Dermatologic toxicities from TKIs are predictable, mechanism-based, and manageable.
  • Proactive, multidisciplinary care is essential for managing TKI-induced CAEs.
  • Standardized pathways for TKI-specific prevention and treatment can maintain dose intensity, enhance quality of life, and support antineoplastic efficacy.

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