Assessment of the efficacy and safety of anlotinib for the treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The current research aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib, an orally administered small-molecular tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), in the treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). METHODS: Patients with recurrent EOC subjected to treatment with anlotinib in Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from 2020 to 2022 were included. The evaluation involved a thorough review of medical records, focusing on parameters such as the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), survival outcomes, and safety profile. RESULTS: This study recorded 51 patients, with 26 patients undergoing anlotinib monotherapy. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.0 months, whereas the median overall survival (OS) was not reached. Seven cases underwent a combined treatment of anlotinib with chemotherapy. Among them, two patients achieved partial response (PR), two were categorized as stable disease (SD), and three were identified as having progressive disease (PD). The ORR and DCR were 28.5% (2/7) and 57.1% (4/7), respectively. Additionally, 18 cases received anlotinib maintenance therapy, and the median PFS and the median OS were 7.0 months and 25.5 months, respectively. The most prevalent adverse effects included fatigue (38.6%), hypertension (27.3%), nausea and vomiting (25.0%) and hand-foot syndrome (25.0%). CONCLUSION: Anlotinib demonstrated mild efficacy in the treatment of recurrent EOC, whether employed as monotherapy, chemotherapy-combined therapy, or maintenance therapy. The safety profile was proven manageable and well-tolerated, suggesting that anlotinib may emerge as a viable and novel treatment option for recurrent EOC.