Abstract
Lenvatinib, an oral multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is currently being explored
in the area of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Two-thirds of total
patients are presented in the advanced stage leading to poor prognosis with conventional
treatment. The addition of immunotherapy is the standard approach to it. However,
in developing nations and resource-limited setups, affordability is the major concern.
To encounter this, lenvatinib has become a novel cost-effective treatment for HNSCC.
Lenvatinib targets a varied range of receptors including vascular endothelial growth
factor receptor, platelet-derived growth factor receptor α, fibroblast growth factor
receptor, KIT (stem cell factor receptor), and rearranged during transfection, all
of which are involved in the pathogenesis of HNSCC leading to the establishment of
its role in HNSCC. It inhibits angiogenesis in endothelial cells and proliferation
in tumor cells. Instances of resistance were observed in monoreceptor targeting agents,
which are also overcome by lenvatinib, leading to potent antitumor activity. Clinical
studies are being conducted to establish the role of lenvatinib as a third-line therapy
in HNSCC. In this review, we discuss the role of lenvatinib in resource-limited, platinum-refractory,
and recurrent/metastatic HNSCC.
Keywords
lenvatinib - advanced head and neck cancer - platinum-refractory - resource-limited
settings - clinical trials
