Objective: To observe the preliminary efficacies and adverse events of sunitinib in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer ulcer.
Methods: From December 2008 to May 2010, patients with advanced breast cancer ulcer took a single sunitinib. The dosage was adjusted on the basis of adverse events. And clinical response was evaluated.
Results: Nine patients with advanced breast cancer ulcer finished the treatment. The objective response and the clinical benefit time to progression of sunitinib were 3 and 7 patients with metastatic breast cancer ulcer, and the median time to progression (TTP) was 2.0 months. The most common adverse events included fatigue, hand-foot syndrome, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and hypertension.
Conclusion: Single-agent sunitinib treatment of refractory advanced breast cancer ulcer has marked efficacies. However, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and hypertension are the major dose-limited toxicities.