Pazopanib in renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Pazopanib is an oral, multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of patients with advanced renal cell cancer on the basis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial, which showed that once a day dosing of 800 mg of pazopanib resulted in progression free survival of 9.2 months versus 4.2 months (P < 0.0001). Pazopanib thus joins sorafenib and sunitinib as one of the clinically available VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-targeted drugs for the treatment of patients with advanced clear cell renal cell cancer. The mechanism of action, preclinical and clinical data, and a comparison with the other drugs in its class are outlined below.