Sunitinib in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: update of safety data

Aim: To describe the long-term safety of sunitinib in patients with progressive, well-differentiated, advanced/metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Patients & methods: Sunitinib- and placebo-treated patients from the Phase III study continued to receive sunitinib (37.5mg on a continuous daily-dosing regimen) in two open-label extension studies. Results: Median (range) treatment exposure: 30.2 (0.7-269.4) and 87.1 (3.9-319.4) weeks for medium-term (n=41) and long-term-treated (n=61) populations, respectively. All patients experienced 1 adverse event (AE); 47 (45.6%) reported serious AEs. Common all-causality AEs: diarrhea (63.1%); neutropenia (43.7%); abdominal pain (40.8%). Fifteen (14.6%) patients discontinued treatment due to treatment-related AEs. Conclusion: The safety of extended sunitinib treatment was consistent with the known safety profile of sunitinib in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.