Management Guidelines for Patients on Sunitinib

Melbourne, Australia — 4 December 2007— The Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology has published a paper outlining the management recommendations for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) using sunitinib malate.

The paper “Sunitinib Malate in the Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma and Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor: Recommendations for Patient Management” summarizes published literature relating to the tolerability of sunitinib malate and provides recommendations for patient assessments and management.

Tolerability of sunitinib is generally high. More common side effects include lethargy, diarrhea, and hypertension. Side effects seldom lead to treatment discontinuation. Other more troublesome, but largely uncommon, side effects include hypothyroidism and hematological toxicity.

Sunitinib is an effective treatment for RCC and GIST. Supportive measures such as concomitant medications can usually manage mild to moderate toxicities, without need to reduce or disrupt the administration of sunitinib. In case of severe toxicities, interruption of treatment until patient has returned to normal or mild level is recommended.

According to researchers, it is likely that sunitinib may be effective in other cancers or in combination with other therapies.

This paper is published in the December 2007 issue of Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology.