Savolitinib: A Promising Targeting Agent for Cancer

Cancers (Basel). 2023 Sep 25;15(19):4708. doi: 10.3390/cancers15194708.

Abstract

Savolitinib is a highly selective small molecule inhibitor of the mesenchymal epithelial transition factor (MET) tyrosine kinase, primarily developed for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with MET mutations. It is also being investigated as a treatment for breast, head and neck, colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, and other gastrointestinal cancers. In both preclinical and clinical studies, it has demonstrated efficacy in lung, kidney, and stomach cancers. Savolitinib is an oral anti-cancer medication taken as a 600 mg dose once daily. It can be used as a monotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer with MET mutations and in combination with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors for patients who have developed resistance to them. Furthermore, savolitinib has shown positive results in gastric cancer treatment, particularly in combination with docetaxel. As a result, this review aims to validate its efficacy in NSCLC and suggests its potential application in other gastrointestinal cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, based on related research in gastric and renal cancer.

Keywords: MET-TKI; NSCLC; gastric cancer; pancreatic cancer; renal cell carcinoma; savolitinib.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

This research was supported by 6th AstraZeneca-KHIDI (Korea health industry development institute) oncology research program, and research grant was supported from AstraZeneca.