lenvatinib mesilate at a glance
Medicine class
Receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor
How it is given
Hard capsules taken by mouth; a suspension can be prepared if swallowing is difficult
Food
May be taken with or without food
Treatment setting
Started and supervised by a healthcare professional experienced in anticancer treatment
What is lenvatinib mesilate used for?
Licensed uses in adults include:
Progressive, locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma that is refractory to radioactive iodine, used alone.
Advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma without previous systemic therapy, used alone.
Advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma after progression on or following platinum-containing therapy, when curative surgery or radiotherapy is unsuitable, with pembrolizumab.
Advanced renal cell carcinoma as first-line treatment with pembrolizumab.
Advanced renal cell carcinoma after one previous VEGF-targeted therapy, with everolimus.
How does lenvatinib mesilate work?
It inhibits VEGF, FGF and other receptor tyrosine kinase pathways, including RET, KIT and PDGFRα. This can reduce tumour-supporting blood-vessel formation and growth signals in some cancer cells.
lenvatinib mesilate preparations and strengths
Capsule
Route: Oral
Strengths: 4 mg, 10 mg
How to take lenvatinib mesilate
Follow the oncology team's instructions and use only the capsules prescribed for the current treatment plan.
Take with or without food.
Swallow capsules whole with water; caregivers should not open them.
If swallowing is difficult, whole capsules may be dispersed in water, apple juice or milk according to the supplied instructions. Use water for a feeding tube.
Do not break or crush capsules when preparing a suspension. Follow the product instructions for refrigeration and disposal if it is not used immediately.
lenvatinib mesilate side effects
Common or expected effects
- High blood pressure
- Diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, constipation or abdominal discomfort
- Reduced appetite and weight loss
- Tiredness or weakness
- Sore mouth, altered taste or hoarse voice
- Headache or dizziness
- Redness, pain or swelling of the hands and feet
- Protein in the urine or altered kidney tests
- Underactive thyroid or altered thyroid tests
- Bleeding, commonly nosebleeds
- Changes in liver tests or blood electrolyte levels
Get urgent medical advice
- Stroke, brain bleeding or posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
- Heart failure, heart attack, arterial blood clot or abnormal heart rhythm
- Severe bleeding
- Kidney failure, particularly following dehydration
- Liver failure or hepatic encephalopathy
- Gastrointestinal perforation or fistula
- Severe hypertension or arterial dissection
- Osteonecrosis of the jaw
- Tumour lysis syndrome
- Serious wound-healing complications
lenvatinib mesilate in pregnancy
Pregnancy should be avoided because this treatment may harm the developing baby. It should be used during pregnancy only when clearly necessary after specialist assessment. Highly effective contraception is required during treatment and for at least one month after stopping. People using oral hormonal contraception should also use a barrier method.
lenvatinib mesilate while breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is contraindicated during treatment because a risk to the infant cannot be excluded.
lenvatinib mesilate interactions
Tell the oncology team about all prescribed, over-the-counter and complementary products. Relevant concerns include:
Oral hormonal contraceptives
Contraceptive effectiveness may be reduced, so an additional barrier method is advised.
Medicines that prolong the QT interval, including some antiarrhythmics
Combined use may increase abnormal heart-rhythm risk and require closer ECG and electrolyte monitoring.
Renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system medicines
Concomitant use may increase acute kidney injury risk, particularly with dehydration.
Common questions about lenvatinib mesilate
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
Is lenvatinib mesilate chemotherapy?
It is a targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor rather than conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Can the capsules be opened or crushed?
No. Whole capsules can instead be dispersed according to the product instructions.
Why is blood pressure checked?
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.