Anti-VEGF Agent Lenvatinib Improves Progression Free Survival in Patients with Radioiodine-Refractory Thyroid Cancer

Feb 17, 2015 | News

Lenvatinib, an oral inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1, 2, and 3, fibroblast growth factor receptors 1 through 4, platelet-derived growth factor receptor α, RET, and KIT, was associated with significant improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) and the response rate in a phase 3 study involving patients with progressive thyroid cancer that was refractory to iodine-131– a type of thyroid cancer that resists standard radiation.

The phase 3, randomized, double-blind, multicenter study randomized 261 patients to receive lenvatinib (at a daily dose of 24 mg per day in 28-day cycles) and 131 patients to receive placebo. At the time of disease progression, patients in the placebo group could receive open-label lenvatinib. The primary end point was progression-free survival. Secondary end points included the response rate, overall survival, and safety.

The median progression-free survival was 18.3 months in the lenvatinib group and 3.6 months in the placebo group. A progression-free survival benefit associated with lenvatinib was observed in all pre-specified subgroups.

Source: New England Journal of Medicine