Second line treatment of recurrent glioblastoma with sunitinib: results of a phase II study and systematic review of literature

Second line treatment of recurrent or progressive glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is not standardized. Anti-angiogenic strategies with tyrosine-kinase inhibitors have been tested with conflicting results. We tested the association of sunitinib (S) plus irinotecan (CPT-11) in a phase II trial in terms of response rate (RR) and 6-months progression-free survival (6-PFS). We also reviewed the clinical evidence from all the trials with S in this setting published to date and summarized it in a meta-analysis.