2022 Volume 115 Issue 11 Pages 1005-1009
Many adverse events occur during treatment with molecular-targeted agents for unresectable differentiated thyroid cancer, necessitating dose reduction or withdrawal of treatment. However, dose reduction or withdrawal after the appearance of adverse events may decrease a patient’s motivation for treatment, while excessive dose reduction may reduce the treatment efficacy. With the objective of avoiding the occurrence adverse events, we attempted a “weekends-off” administration schedule (five days-on and two days-off administration) of lenvatinib. Five consenting patients with thyroid cancer who were started on lenvatinib treatment at our hospital between September 2020 and May 2021 developed grade 2 or grade 3 adverse events. Four patients showed a partial response or no change during the observation period, and the incidence of adverse events decreased to 20%. This result suggests that the weekends-off administration of lenvatinib is a useful scheduled drug withdrawal method to control adverse events, while maintaining the therapeutic effects of treatment.
