Open AccessNew agent to treat advanced or metastasized thyroid cancer, its efficacy, safety, and mechanism
Author(s) -
Zhu Huangao,
Zhao Junyu,
Zhang Rui,
Liao Lin,
Dong Jianjun
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
thoracic cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1759-7714
pISSN - 1759-7706
DOI - 10.1111/1759-7714.12238
Subject(s) - vandetanib , medicine , oncology , rash , medullary thyroid cancer , thyroid cancer , neutropenia , adverse effect , hazard ratio , placebo , cancer , thyroid , chemotherapy , pathology , sorafenib , confidence interval , alternative medicine , hepatocellular carcinoma
Background Vandetanib is the first US Food and Drug Administration approved agent to treat advanced or metastasized thyroid cancer. To gain a better understanding of the drug, we conducted a systematic review of its efficacy and safety in patients with thyroid cancers. Methods Trial data was retrieved from Pubmed, EMBASE , Medline, C hina National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the Cochrane database without restrictions on language. A systematic review of the literature was performed to assess median progression‐free survival ( PFS ) and adverse events associated with vandetanib therapy for advanced or metastasized thyroid cancers. Results Vandetanib statistically prolonged PFS in comparison with the placebo (30.5 vs. 19.3 months, hazard ratio 0.46), It even prolonged PFS in surgically unresectable or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer cases compared with the placebo (11.1 vs. 5.9 months, hazard ratio 0.63). Rash, diarrhea, neutropenia, and hypertension were the most frequent side effects. Conclusion Vandetanib can significantly improve PFS . Though it has some side effects, it is still a promising agent in the treatment of advanced or metastasized thyroid cancer, especially in those with metastasized or advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma.