The potential role of sunitinib in gastrointestinal cancers other than GIST

Gastrointestinal tumors are the most frequent and lethal malignancies worldwide. The deeper knowledge in molecular biology mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis has allowed the design of new targeted drugs mainly directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFRs). Sunitinib is an oral multitargeted inhibitor of the VEGF, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and c-KIT, among others, tyrosine kinase receptors. Therefore, sunitinib acts in a dual mode as antiangiogenic agent and as antitumoral drug. The aim of this review is to gather the preclinical rationale behind the clinical use of sunitinib in gastrointestinal malignancies other than gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and to summarize the clinical data from phase I to III trials currently available.