Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) – Ronny Allan

24Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Targeted Therapy for Neuroendocrine Cancer – Sunitinib (Sutent)

Click here to see the A to Z of Neuroendocrine Cancer What is Sunitinib (Sutent)? Manufactured by Pfizer, this is a targeted biological therapy or more accurately, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). You may also see it described as an anti-angiogenic agent on the basis that these tumor types are highly vascularized and show high expression of something called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key driver of angiogenesis in neuroendocrine tumors. Because NETs are generally hypervascularized tumors, treatment with antiangiogenic drugs seems a rational approach. A complex process but in the simplest of terms, sunitinib blocks a particular enzyme and keeps tumors from making their own blood vessels, which are needed to deliver oxygen and other nutrients to help them survive and grow. In clinical trials, SUTENT was…

29Jul 2019 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Surufatinib for Neuroendocrine Cancer

Clinical Trials, Treatment

UPDATE 2nd May 2022. US FDA did not approve. Commentary from Healthcare New company Global Data. "On 2 May, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected HUTCHMED’s new drug application (NDA) for its lead candidate, Sulanda (surufatinib), for the treatment of advanced neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). Issues pertaining to trial populations were raised in a complete response letter (CRL) and GlobalData expects this case to have wide implications for the whole field of oncology therapeutics. China-based HUTCHMED received approval for its multi-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor Sulanda in China for the treatment of pancreatic and extra-pancreatic NETs in June last year and December 2020, respectively. Following the submission to Chinese authorities, NDAs were also submitted to the FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMA). Two large Phase III studies formed the basis…

22Jan 2019 by Ronny Allan 3 Comments

Clinical Trial: Lenvatinib Efficacy in Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (TALENT)

Clinical Trials

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email "Interestingly, the ORR in pancreatic NETs was 44%, a rate not seen before with targeted agents," Jonathan Strosberg, MD, head of the neuroendocrine tumor division at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa Tweet Lenvatinib has completed a Phase 2 trial in Gastrointestinal (GI) and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumours. The trial was sponsored by Grupo Espanol de Tumores Neuroendocrinos (Spanish NET scientific organisation) and the manufacturers. A European venture with sites in Austria, Italy, Spain, UK. Headline: The responses are better than Everolimus (Afinitor) and Sunitinib (Sutent).What is Lenvatinib?It is a type of targeted therapy known as a multikinase inhibitor. The brand name is 'LENVIMA'. These work by inhibiting multiple intracellular and…

21Jan 2017 by Ronny Allan 1 Comment

Neuroendocrine Tumor Drug Clinical Trial – Cabozantinib (includes news on Pheochromoctyoma and Paraganglioma)

Clinical Trials

What is Cabozantinib?Cabozantinib is an oral drug which works by blocking the growth of new blood vessels that feed a tumour. In addition to blocking the formation of new blood cells in tumours, Cabozantinib also blocks pathways that may be responsible for allowing cancers cells to become resistant to other "anti-angiogenic" drugs. It is a type of drug called a growth blocker. Cabozantinib has been studied or is already in research studies as a possible treatment for various types of cancer, including prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, brain cancer, thyroid cancer, lung cancer, and kidney cancer. During my research, I found that it has a connection to Medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC) which is a type of Neuroendocrine Cancer, frequently associated with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN). Cabozantinib, under the brand name of 'Cometriq'…