Phase II testing of sunitinib: the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group IND Program Trials IND.182–185

Sunitinib (SU11248) is an orally bioavailable inhibitor that affects the receptor tyrosine kinases involved in tumour proliferation and angiogenesis, including vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) receptors 1, 2, 3, and platelet-derived growth factor receptors alpha (pdgfra) and beta (pdgfrb). Because angiogenesis is necessary for the growth and metastasis of solid tumours, and vegf is believed to have a pivotal role in that process, sunitinib treatment may have broad-spectrum clinical utility. In the present article, we discuss the biologic and clinical rationales that have recently led the Investigational New Drug Program of the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group to initiate four phase ii trials testing this agent in the following four different tumour types: relapsed diffuse large cell lymphoma, malignant pleural mesothelioma, locally advanced or metastatic cervical cancer and recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma.