<p>A retrospective six-patient series of apatinib for the treatment of persistent or recurrent carcinoma of the cervix</p>

Abstract

Objective Although advances have been made in the clinical and therapeutic management of women with cervical cancer, the best treatment for patients with metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer is still undefined. Apatinib, a novel inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 tyrosine kinases, has been successful in treating various malignancies. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of apatinib in the treatment of recurrent cervical cancer. Methods Patients with recurrent cervical cancer received apatinib after failure of the second- or higher-line chemotherapy. Apatinib was administered as 500 mg daily on days 1 through 21 of each 4-week cycle. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and treatment-related adverse events were reviewed and evaluated. Results Six patients were administered apatinib for at least one complete cycle. The median OS was 16.0 months (95% CI: 6.8–25.2), and the median PFS was 7.0 months (95% CI: 2.2–11.8), One patient achieved partial response and three patients achieved stable disease. Two patients were evaluated as progression disease. The ORR was 16.7% (1/6) and the DCR was 67.7% (4/6). The common side effect of apatinib was hypertension; however, the toxicity of apatinib was tolerable and controllable. Conclusions Apatinib is an option in the treatment of recurrent cervical cancer after failure of the second- or higher-line chemotherapy. Further prospective evaluation of the utility of apatinib is required.

Effectiveness and prognostic factors of apatinib treatment in patients with recurrent or advanced cervical carcinoma: A retrospective study

“…Some recent research results show that apatinib has a certain effect on cervical cancer. In 2019, several studies reported the effect of single‐agent apatinib treatment after failure of first‐line treatment in recurrent or advanced cervical cancer 17,19–21 . In 2020, Guo et al 22 assessed the clinical efficacy and safety of apatinib combined with chemotherapy or concurrent chemo‐brachytherapy as first‐line treatment.…”

“…Based on these biologic rationales, apatinib might affect the treatment of patients with cervical cancer. In the past year, some articles have reported that apatinib may be active in patients with recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer after failure of first‐line treatment 16–21 . However, fewer studies focus on finding which group of patients should be more beneficial from the treatment of apatinib.…”

Low‐dose apatinib and tegafur‐gimeracil‐oteracil as palliative treatment in recurrent cervical cancer patients with poor performance status: A case series

“…Apatinib, an oral multi‐targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, with independent intellectual property rights in China, plays a major role in regulating tumour angiogenesis through the inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling pathway. The efficacy and safety of apatinib have been demonstrated in RCC, and a dosage of 500 mg daily was usually administered 12‐14 . Careful dose modification is required and allowed for patients with unacceptable toxicity or poor PS 15 .…”

“…Consistent administration of low‐dose drugs might prolong the treatment duration and minimize toxicity. Apatinib, an oral small‐molecule inhibitor of VEGFR‐2 tyrosine, has proven to be effective in the treatment of advanced cervical cancer with manageable toxicities 12‐14 . According to Xiao and colleagues, all patients with recurrent, metastatic cervical cancer having Karnofsky Performance Score ≥70 were treated with 500 mg of apatinib daily.…”

“…Furthermore, all patients received apatinib (500 mg/d), and one, three and two patients achieved PR, SD and PD, respectively. The median PFS was 7.0 months, and four patients experienced grade 3 AEs 13 …”