Is axitinib/axitinib suitable for patients who have failed previous treatment?

Axitinib/Axitinib, as a highly selective angiogenesis inhibitor, was early approved for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who have failed one previous systemic treatment, which is often referred to as "second-line treatment". This means that axitinib can still exert a sustained anti-tumor effect after patients fail initial treatment regimens such as sunitinib, sorafenib, bevacizumab combined with interferon alpha, temsimogib, or cetuximab.

The main mechanism of axitinib is to selectively inhibitVEGFR1, VEGFR2 and VEGFR3, thereby effectively blocking the angiogenesis pathway of tumors. In RCC, a highly blood vessel-dependent tumor, this mechanism is particularly critical for disease control. Studies have found that tumors remain responsive to axitinib even after resistance to prior targeted therapy, in part due to its potent target affinity and good bioavailability. Therefore, axitinib offers new therapeutic opportunities for patients who have failed treatment.

In overseas guidelines, axitinib is clearly recommended as one of the first-choice second-line drugs after systemic treatment failure. At the same time, it has also been approved in China for the follow-up treatment of advanced RCC and has been included in the medical insurance catalog, significantly reducing the financial burden on patients. Due to its oral administration form and relatively controllable adverse reactions, patients can complete the treatment process at home, which increases life convenience and treatment compliance.

However, although axitinib has clear efficacy as a second-line drug, it is still necessary to monitor patients for drug-related toxicities, such as hypertension, abnormal liver function, hypothyroidism, etc. During the treatment process, the dose should be fine-tuned according to individual response, and antihypertensive drugs or nutritional intervention should be used when necessary.

Reference materials:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axitinib