Korean J Med.
2010 Nov;79(5):506-508.
Sunitinib-induced hypothyroidism
- Affiliations
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- 1Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
- Sunitinib is an oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is effective for advanced renal cell carcinoma and imatinib-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Currently, sunitinib is being investigated in multiple other tumor types including non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and endocrine tumors. Recent studies have shown that sunitinib induces thyroid dysfunction, mainly hypothyroidism during treatment. The incidence of sunitinib-induced hypothyroidism has been reported to be 36~85%. Although several hypotheses have been suggested, the mechanisms by which sunitinib induces hypothyroidism are not clear. As considered the fairly high incidence of sunitinib-induced hypothyroidism, thyroid function should be regularly monitored in all patients treated with sunitinib.
