Small molecule multitarget antiangiogenic inhibitor treatments for advanced thymic epithelial tumors: A retrospective study

Abstract

Abstract Background Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are rare malignant tumors with limited treatment options. No established second‐line treatment regimen is available following the preferred first‐line chemotherapy, resulting in unsatisfactory efficacy and poor prognosis for patients with advanced TETs. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of small molecule multitarget antiangiogenic inhibitors as well as the prognostic factors for advanced TETs. Methods A retrospective study was conducted using data from a real‐world database. Clinical information and survival follow‐up data were collected from 52 patients with advanced TETs who received small molecule multitarget antiangiogenic inhibitors at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital between August 10, 2016 and August 10, 2022. The short‐term efficacy of the treatments, survival time of the patients, and relevant prognostic factors of advanced TETs were analyzed. Results Out of the 52 patients included in this study, 16 had thymoma and 36 had thymic carcinoma. The 52 patients had an overall response rate of 21.1% and a disease control rate of 94.2%. In addition, the median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 8.05 months, and the overall survival (OS) was 25.00 months. Apatinib was given to 33 patients, anlotinib to 15 patients, and sunitinib or lenvatinib to four patients. Only seven patients received antiangiogenic inhibitors as their first‐line therapy, 27 patients as their second‐line therapy, and 18 patients as third‐line or subsequent therapy. Meanwhile, 42 patients received monotherapy with an antiangiogenesis inhibitor, while 10 patients received combination therapy. Univariate analysis indicated that the combined treatment was associated with a superior OS (p = 0.044); multivariate analysis indicated that the combined treatment was an independent prognostic factor for PFS (p = 0.014) and OS (p = 0.012). Conclusion The findings suggest that small molecule multitarget antiangiogenic inhibitors are efficacious as second or post‐line treatments as a viable alternative treatment option for patients with advanced TETs.

Keywords

• small molecule multitarget antiangiogenic inhibitors
• thymic epithelial tumor
• thymic carcinoma
• thymoma