Dr. Wirth Discusses the Safety Profile of Lenvatinib as Seen in the SELECT Trial

Lori J. Wirth, MD, medical director, Center for Head and Neck Cancers, Massachusetts General Hospital, assistant professor, Harvard Medical School, discusses the safety profile of lenvatinib as seen in the phase III SELECT trial, which analyzed lenvatinib (E7080) in patients with 131I-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.

Wirth says some oncology drugs come at the cost of side effects. The side effects seen with lenvatinib are very similar to the side effects seen with other VEGFR inhibitors and include hypertension, diarrhea, decrease appetite, weight loss, and rash.

Most of the toxicities seen in patients taking lenvatinib on the SELECT trial were grade 1 or 2 and were manageable with dose holds and dose reductions as well as active symptom management and supportive care, Wirth says.

Wirth also notes that 6 patients died during the SELECT trial. Two of the deaths were due to known toxicities of this class of drugs: hematic stroke and pulmonary embolism. The other 4 patients were deemed to have died from general deterioration in their health.