Positive sunitinib data unveiled at 1st ABCC

Phase I data announced at the 1st Asian Breast Cancer Congress in New Delhi, India, indicate that Pfizer's drug Sutent (sunitinib malate) has significant anti-tumor activity when used in combination with docetaxel in women suffering from advanced breast cancer. The event is being held in response to the rising incidence of breast cancer in the country, and is dedicated to shaping the approach to management of the disease in years to come.

The primary objective of the trial was to determine the pharmacokinetic profile of the Sutent/docetaxel regimen in women with unresectable, locally-recurrent or metastatic breast cancer, who have relapsed following anthracycline-based treatment. In total, 22 patients received 37.5mg/day of Sutent in addition to 75mg/m2 of intravenous docetaxel every three weeks.

The reported trial, preliminary results from which were announced last year at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in the USA, showed that 72.2% of the 18 evaluable subjects have experienced partial response, as measured using RECIST criteria. In addition, around half of this group saw a reduction in tumor size after two treatment cycles, several of whom had visceral disease.