Pazopanib may be associated with response in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) but not carcinoid tumors, according to a recent study published online ahead of print in The Lancet Oncology.

Researchers led by Alexandria Phan, MD, and Daniel Halperin, MD, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center looked at 52 patients (32 with pancreatic NETs, 20 with carcinoid tumors) from April 2007 to July 2009 who received oral pazopanib daily with octreotide at pre-protocol dosage.

Primary endpoint was proportion of patients who achieved objective response upon intention-to-treat analysis.

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They found that seven of the 32 patients with pancreatic NETs (21.9 percent) achieved an objective response, while no response in the first stage of the carcinoid tumor cohort was detected.

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In all patients, the most common toxic effects were fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and hypertension.

“A randomized controlled phase 3 study to assess pazopanib in advanced NETs is warranted,” the authors concluded.

Reference

  1. Phan, Alexandria T., et al. “Pazopanib and depot octreotide in advanced, well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumours: a multicentre, single-group, phase 2 study.” The Lancet Oncology. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(15)70136-1. [epub ahead of print]. May 5, 2015.

Topics:

Endocrine Cancer Pancreatic Cancer