Pfizer’s Sutent ‘can be used for gastrointestinal stromal tumours’

Researchers have concluded Pfizer’s cancer drug Sutent (sunitinib) can be used effectively in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) in cases where imatinib treatment – marketed by Novartis as Glivec – has either failed or proven intolerable.

The study, published in the Lancet, revealed the details of a clinical trial involving 312 patients, randomised to receive either the placebo or sunitinib. The analysis of the data revealed that the Pfizer drug offered a “significant” improvement in median time to tumour progression, with sunitinib patients demonstrating a progression-free period of 27.3 weeks, compared to 6.4 weeks for the placebo group.

Scientists used an oral, once-daily 50mg dose of the drug in six-week cycles of four weeks on and two weeks off treatment.

Summarising, the study’s authors concluded: “We noted significant clinical benefit, including disease control and superior survival, with sunitinib compared with placebo in patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumour after failure and discontinuation of imatinib.”

Pfizer launched Sutent in the UK during July, providing a treatment that offer “remarkable” response rates, according to Dr Joseph Feczko, chief medical officer at Pfizer.

However, Cancer Research UK warned that the drug should not necessarily be regarded as a “magic bullet” treatment too soon.

A spokeswoman for the charity told the Guardian: “It could be an interesting development but we need to know more. It’s very early days.”