Disseminated intravascular coagulation following administration of sunitinib

Sunitinib is an increasingly used, orally administered targeted therapy, approved by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of various types of cancer, including gastrointestinal stromal tumor unresectable or metastatic disease, following disease progression or intolerance to imatinib, and advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma, progressive well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic disease. Sunitinib inhibits several tyrosine kinases, including the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor and the platelet-derived growth factor receptor. Tyrosine kinases inhibitor therapies are generally well-tolerated; nonetheless, they are not void of side effects. The majority of patients reported are grade 1 or 2, and include common and unspecific adverse events, including fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, skin discoloration, altered taste, cough and dyspnea. Grade 3 or 4 adverse events, including bleeding and hemorrhage, are less frequent. The present study presented the first case of disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with the administration of sunitinib, shortly following the increase of sunitinib dosage.

Molecular and clinical oncology. 2016 May 11 [Epub]

Anaëlle Olivo, Nicolas Noël, Benjamin Besse, Anne-Marie Taburet, Olivier Lambotte

Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Bicêtre Hospital, AP-HP, F-94270 Kremlin Bicêtre, France., Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology Department, Bicêtre Hospital, AP-HP, F-94270 Kremlin Bicêtre, France; Université Paris Sud, Kremlin Bicêtre, F-94270 Kremlin Bicêtre, France; Division of Immunovirology, IDMIT, F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Center for Immunology of Viral Infections and Autoimmune Diseases, F-92290 Chatenay-Malabry, France., Université Paris Sud, Kremlin Bicêtre, F-94270 Kremlin Bicêtre, France; Institut Gustave Roussy, F-94800 Villejuif, France., Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Bicêtre Hospital, AP-HP, F-94270 Kremlin Bicêtre, France; Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology Department, Bicêtre Hospital, AP-HP, F-94270 Kremlin Bicêtre, France; Université Paris Sud, Kremlin Bicêtre, F-94270 Kremlin Bicêtre, France; Division of Immunovirology, IDMIT, F-92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Center for Immunology of Viral Infections and Autoimmune Diseases, F-92290 Chatenay-Malabry, France., Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology Department, Bicêtre Hospital, AP-HP, F-94270 Kremlin Bicêtre, France; Université Paris Sud, Kremlin Bicêtre, F-94270 Kremlin Bicêtre, France; Center for Immunology of Viral Infections and Autoimmune Diseases, F-92290 Chatenay-Malabry, France.