Sutent (Sunitinib Malate) for Kidney Cancer

Overview
Sutent is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in adults. It is also approved as an adjuvant treatment (additional therapy after surgery) for adults at high risk of RCC recurrence following nephrectomy (kidney removal surgery). Sutent is also known by its drug name, sunitinib malate.

Sutent is a kinase inhibitor. It works by blocking enzymes (called kinases) that cancer cells use to grow and divide. This helps stop the growth of cancer cells and may shrink tumors in the kidneys.

How do I take it?
Prescribing information states that Sutent is taken orally (by mouth) in capsule form. For advanced RCC and adjuvant treatment, the recommended schedule is once daily for four weeks, followed by two weeks off, repeated in cycles. Treatment for adjuvant RCC is typically given for up to nine cycles. Sutent should be taken exactly as prescribed by a healthcare provider.

Side effects
Common side effects of Sutent include fatigue (feeling of tiredness or weakness), diarrhea, mucositis (mouth inflammation), stomatitis (mouth sores), nausea, anorexia (decreased appetite), vomiting, abdominal pain, hand-foot syndrome (discoloration, swelling, and pain on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet), hypertension (high blood pressure), bleeding events, dysgeusia (altered taste), dyspepsia (indigestion), and thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts).

Rare but serious side effects may include liver toxicity (which can cause liver failure), heart problems such as myocardial ischemia (reduced blood flow to the heart), myocardial infarction (heart attack), and heart failure. Other serious risks include QT interval prolongation (a heart rhythm disorder), tumor-related bleeding and viscus perforation (organ perforation), tumor lysis syndrome (a condition caused by rapid cancer cell death), thrombotic microangiopathy (damage to small blood vessels), proteinuria (protein in urine, which can indicate kidney damage), severe skin reactions such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (a brain disorder), thyroid dysfunction, dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), osteonecrosis of the jaw (bone damage in the jaw), and impaired wound healing. Sutent may also harm an unborn baby, so effective contraception is recommended during treatment.

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Label: Sutent — Sunitinib Malate Capsule — DailyMed