Lars Bastholt, MD, clinical oncologist, Odense University Hospital, discusses lenvatinib (Lenvima) in patients with thyroid cancer.

Lenvatinib, a TKI that targets VEGFR1-3, FGFR1-4, PDGFR-α, RET, and c-KIT, is currently being investigated as first-line therapy in several clinical trials, and the preferred first-line treatment for thyroid cancer in countries such as Denmark. Efficacy data published in 2014 showed that this agent increased progression-free survival greatly, as compared to other TKIs.

Future treatment for rarer cancers such as this should be left up to specialists, says Bastholt, as these types of agents should be introduced in a centralized fashion with close evaluation.

Videos

Dr. Bastholt on Lenvatinib in Thyroid Cancer

Lars Bastholt, MD, clinical oncologist, Odense University Hospital, discusses the use of lenvatinib to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the 2016 ESMO Congress.

A phase II study of the agent demonstrated promising clinical activity in a small subset of patients with NSCLC. Approximately 40% of these patients have adenocarcinoma of the lung, and 1% to 2% of those patients have a 

 mutation. It is in this specific setting, Bastholt explains, that lenvatinib has demonstrated significant outcomes.

Despite some manageable toxicities associated with this agent, these efficacious results provide support for further study of lenvatinib for 

Lars Bastholt, MD, clinical oncologist, Odense University Hospital, discusses the use of lenvatinib to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer at the 2016 ESMO Congress.

Lars Bastholt, MD

Articles

Dr. Bastholt on Lenvatinib in Thyroid Cancer

Dr. Bastholt on Lenvatinib in NSCLC