Background: The activity of sunitinib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor with antiangiogenic and antitumor activities, has been explored in several solid malignancies such as breast, lung, prostate and pancreatic cancer. Currently it is approved for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Non-small cell lung cancer usually presents at an advanced or metastatic stage at diagnosis. Treatment options are limited for this disease, therefore symptom palliation and patient's quality of life are primary objectives of therapy.
Case report: We describe the case of a patient (male, 67 years old) with heavily pre-treated metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma who received sunitinib according to the following 3-week schedule: 50 mg daily for 2 weeks followed by a 1-week rest. The patient completed six months of therapy achieving a major disease response without high-grade toxicities.
Conclusion: In this case, sunitinib shows promising single-agent activity in pretreated non-small cell lung cancer, with a good toxicity profile and flexible administration schedule.