Trial reportThe Lancet. Oncology2015
Sunitinib in patients with chemotherapy-refractory thymoma and thymic carcinoma: an open-label phase 2 trial.
Trial report in The Lancet. Oncology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 164 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Phase II Study of Sunitinib in Patients With Advanced Relapsed or Refractory Thymoma or Thymic Carcinoma With at Least One Prior Line of Platinum-Based Systemic Chemotherapy
Phase II Trial of Sunitinib in Patients With Type B3 Thymoma or Thymic Carcinoma in Second and Further Lines (Style Trial)
Who cites it
164 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 296 citations in OpenAlex.
- Construction of an miRNA-regulated drug-pathway network reveals drug repurposing candidates for myasthenia gravis.International journal of molecular medicine · 2017Pooled it
- Benefit, Risk, and Outcomes in Drug Development: A Systematic Review of Sunitinib.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2016Pooled it
- Ivonescimab plus chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced thymic carcinoma: preliminary results of a phase II trial with biomarker analyses.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2026Trial
- The CHK1 inhibitor prexasertib in BRCA wild-type platinum-resistant recurrent high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma: a phase 2 trial.Nature communications · 2024Trial
- Apatinib in patients with recurrent or metastatic thymic epithelial tumor: a single-arm, multicenter, open-label, phase II trial.BMC medicine · 2022Trial
- Phase II trial of S-1 treatment as palliative-intent chemotherapy for previously treated advanced thymic carcinoma.Cancer medicine · 2020Trial
- Pembrolizumab in patients with thymic carcinoma: a single-arm, single-centre, phase 2 study.The Lancet. Oncology · 2018Trial
- A Phase II Clinical Trial of TRC105 (Anti-Endoglin Antibody) in Adults With Advanced/Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma.Clinical genitourinary cancer · 2017Trial
- Precision Oncology in Thymic Epithelial Tumors: Therapeutic Horizons and Implementation Barriers.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Palliative Systemic Therapy in Advanced Thymic Epithelial Tumors in 2026-A Narrative Review.Cancers · 2026Review
- PRRC2A-mediated mCell death & disease · 2026Article
- First-Line Platinum-Based Chemotherapy with Novel Systemic Agents for Unresectable or Metastatic Thymic Epithelial Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JTO clinical and research reports · 2026Review
- Elucidating the binding and metabolic interactions of sunitinib and sorafenib with Cytochrome P450s CYP2U1 and CYP2D6.Molecular pharmacology · 2026Article
- Thymic epithelial tumors at the crossroads of immunity, autoimmunity, and immunotherapy.Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII · 2026Review
- Somatic and germline genomic variation in thymic carcinomas.ESMO open · 2026Article
- Recurrence and primary TETs: is it the same disease?-a narrative review.Mediastinum (Hong Kong, China) · 2026Review
- Management of liver metastases secondary to thymic epithelial tumors: a narrative review of current management and future directions.Mediastinum (Hong Kong, China) · 2026Review
- Oncologic strategies and options for the management of metastatic thymic carcinoma.Mediastinum (Hong Kong, China) · 2026Review
- Advanced thymic epithelial tumours after neoadjuvant therapy: a narrative review of surgical challenges and strategies.Mediastinum (Hong Kong, China) · 2026Review
- Systemic therapy for advanced thymic epithelial tumors: a narrative review of current evidence and perspectives.Mediastinum (Hong Kong, China) · 2026Review
104 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
18 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNo standard treatments are available for advanced thymic epithelial tumours after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy. We investigated the activity of sunitinib, an orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
methodsBetween May 15, 2012, and Oct 2, 2013, we did an open-label phase 2 trial in patients with histologically confirmed chemotherapy-refractory thymic epithelial tumours. Patients were eligible if they had disease progression after at least one previous regimen of platinum-containing chemotherapy, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of two or lower, measurable disease, and adequate organ function. Patients received 50 mg of sunitinib orally once a day, in 6-week cycles (ie, 4 weeks of treatment followed by 2 weeks without treatment), until tumour progression or unacceptable toxic effects arose. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed best tumour response at any point, which we analysed separately in thymoma and thymic carcinoma cohorts. Patients who had received at least one cycle of treatment and had their disease reassessed were included in the analyses of response. The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01621568.
findings41 patients were enrolled, 25 with thymic carcinoma and 16 with thymoma. One patient with thymic carcinoma was deemed ineligible after enrolment and did not receive protocol treatment. Of patients who received treatment, one individual with thymic carcinoma was not assessable because she died. Median follow-up on trial was 17 months (IQR 14.0-18.4). Of 23 assessable patients with thymic carcinoma, six (26%, 90% CI 12.1-45.3, 95% CI 10.2-48.4) had partial responses, 15 (65%, 95% CI 42.7-83.6) achieved stable disease, and two (9%, 1.1-28.0) had progressive disease. Of 16 patients with thymoma, one (6%, 95% CI 0.2-30.2) had a partial response, 12 (75%, 47.6-92.7) had stable disease, and three (19%, 4.1-45.7) had progressive disease. The most common grade 3 and 4 treatment-related adverse events were lymphocytopenia (eight [20%] of 40 patients), fatigue (eight [20%]), and oral mucositis (eight [20%]). Five (13%) patients had decreases in left-ventricular ejection fraction, of which three (8%) were grade 3 events. Three (8%) patients died during treatment, including one individual who died of cardiac arrest that was possibly treatment-related.
interpretationSunitinib is active in previously treated patients with thymic carcinoma. Further studies are needed to identify potential biomarkers of activity.
fundingNational Cancer Institute (Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program).
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.