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CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1809377
Review Article

Emerging Role of Lenvatinib in Treating Platinum-Refractory Head and Neck Cancer in Resource-Limited Settings

Avinash Khadela 
1   Department of Pharmacology, Lallubhai Motilal College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
,
Kashvy R. Morakhia 
1   Department of Pharmacology, Lallubhai Motilal College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
,
Nishra H. Shah
1   Department of Pharmacology, Lallubhai Motilal College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
,
Vibha G. Kanjani
1   Department of Pharmacology, Lallubhai Motilal College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
,
Rushabh Kothari
2   Department of Medical Oncology, Oncowin Cancer Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
,
Manthan Merja
3   Department of Surgical Oncology, Starlit Cancer Centre, Kothiya Hospital Campus, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
› Author Affiliations
Funding None.
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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

Data Availability Statement

The data sets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.


Authors' Contributions

A.K., R.K., M.M.: Conceptualization. K.R.M., N.H.S., V.G.K.: Writing original draft, data collection, and interpretation. A.K.: Supervision. A.K., R.K., M.M.: Writing review and editing. All authors read and approved the final content.


Patient Consent

Patient consent is not required as no patients were involved in the preparation of this article.




Publication History

Article published online:
27 May 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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