Journal
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN ONCOLOGY HEMATOLOGY
Volume 91, Issue 1, Pages 35-46Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2014.01.002
Keywords
Gastrointestinal stromal tumour; Tyrosine kinase inhibitors; Imatinib; Sunitinib; Side effects; Symptoms
Categories
Funding
- European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life (EORTC QOL) Group
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have revolutionised the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs). Imatinib is approved as first line therapy and sunitinib is used in cases of imatinib resistance or intolerance. Compared with conventional treatments, TKIs are delivered over longer periods of time and are more specific in their targets (i.e., molecularly targeted), thus presenting different side effect profiles. We review the safety profiles of imatinib and sunitinib, documenting a total of 95 side effects including patient based as well as medically defined outcomes. Gastrointestinal complaints, particularly diarrhoea and nausea, oedema, fatigue and haematological disorders, notably anaemia, are amongst the most prevalent side effects. While there is overlap between the side effect profiles of imatinib and sunitinib, important differences emerge in the frequencies of oedema, hypertension, thyroid functioning, muscle and joint pains, as well as skin and oral conditions. Awareness of potential side effects is informative to both clinician and patient in terms of treatment decision making and can have important implications for treatment adherence and clinical outcome. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available