Benefits from pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of sunitinib for clinical development.

IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: In the last 10 years, oncology has been greatly modified by the introduction of new drugs especially designed for molecular targets. Sunitinib belongs to the category of new drugs that inhibit multityrosine kinase receptors involved in the key steps of tumorigenesis and angiogenesis. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: This article reviews the pharmacological and clinical aspects of sunitinib. Literature search was conducted in PubMed, and articles selected for relevance to pharmacology or clinical efficacy up to March 2010. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: Pharmacology of sunitinib, data regarding clinical efficacy, and challenges to overcome resistance and improve outcomes of patients. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Sunitinib is an oral small molecule that displays mainly antiangiogenic properties and also direct antitumoral effects. Being well tolerated, this small molecule is now an essential treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumors refractory or intolerant to imatinib, two localizations associated with a poor prognosis. Future developments include the extension of the indications of sunitinib in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, the evaluation of combinations with conventional cytotoxic and other targeted drugs and the development of strategy to overcome resistance to sunitinib.

[Targeted therapies in colorectal cancer]. / Traitements ciblés des cancers colorectaux.

Since cancer biology is now better understood, molecular targets involved in tumorigenesis have been identified and specific "targeted therapy" has been designed. Antiangiogenic and anti-EGFR are the 2 targeted families of drugs introduced in the management of colorectal cancer. Bevacizumab, cetuximab and panitumumab are well tolerated and improve the pronostic of the patients in combination with conventional chemotherapy. Moreover, the mutation of KRAS gene has been recently identified as a predictive factor of resistance to anti-EGFR and allows a better selection of the patients. Formely based on 5FU, the management of advanced colorectal cancer is now involving a complex multidisciplinary strategy combining conventional chemotherapy, targeted agents, and surgery with curative intent whenever possible.

Screening Evaluation System--Europe (SESy_Europe) met skin cancer screening.

Skin tumors are the most frequent malignancies in the white population worldwide and have reached the proportion of an epidemic disease. Since non-melanocytic skin cancers can be cured when timely detected, given that still malignant melanoma may have good prognosis if early diagnosed, and considering the key role of primary care in cancer screening advising and implementation, the international PACMeR study group (trial_01.3) adjourned SESy_Europe database in a version comprehensive of skin-malignancies screening indexing. The novel database provides standardized pre-codified translations of 2,331 parameters in eight languages (English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Romanian, Spanish and Turkish) and records the time elapsed from last skin examination, cause and frequency of skins examinations and stratifies skin cancer risk patterns by a systematic registering of risk factors. A comprehensive indexing of skin cancer screening practices among European countries may in fact turn helpful in programming future health policy and tailoring interventions.