The safety of apatinib for the treatment of gastric cancer.

The safety of apatinib for the treatment of gastric cancer. Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2018 Oct 16;: Authors: Geng R, Song L, Li J, Zhao L Abstract INTRODUCTION: Apatinib is an orally administered small-molecule vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 inhibitor. It has been approved and indicated for advanced gastric cancer after the failure of two or more lines of systemic therapy in China. Areas covered: This review summarizes the mechanisms, clinical applications and safety evaluations of apatinib. Apatinib is well tolerated, and its most common adverse effects include hand-foot syndrome, hypertension, proteinuria and neutropenia. Its major grade 3/4 adverse effect is hand-foot syndrome. Expert opinion: Apatinib is an effective and safe drug for advanced gastric cancer patients that shows tolerable and manageable toxicity. However, it should be avoided in patients with a bleeding tendency or at risk of perforation. Worldwide assessments of its efficacy and safety are needed. Additionally, the early presence of antiangiogenesis-related adverse events may predict the drug efficacy of apatinib. PMID: 30324820 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Expert Opinion on Drug Safety - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Expert Opin Drug Saf Source Type: research