Effects of Sunitinib on Endothelial Dysfunction, Metabolic Changes, and Cardiovascular Risk Indices in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Background: Sunitinib is a standard treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Currently, the data available on the effects of sunitinib on endothelial dysfunction, metabolic changes, and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors are limited, and we aimed to evaluate these aspects in patients with RCC after a short period of treatment.

Methods: Patients affected by metastatic RCC were enrolled and evaluated before starting sunitinib (T0) and after 40 days of treatment (T1) by the flow-mediated dilation (FMD), carotid intima media thickness (IMT), ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI), and 24-hour proteinuria. We also assessed serum metabolic and nutritional parameters at T0 and T1.

Results: Twenty patients (7 female), with a mean age of 61.4 ± 12.0 years, were studied. Overtime, we observed a reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate (P = .002), FMD (P = .001) and in fasting plasma glucose levels (P = .04), as well as an increase in plasma insulin (P < .001), HOMA-IR (P < .01), and serum total cholesterol levels (P = .01). Moreover at T1 we found a significant increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P ≤ .001) and 24-hour proteinuria (P < .001) compared to baseline, whereas no changes in IMT and ABI were detected.

Conclusion: The changes observed overtime after sunitinib treatment in terms of markers of early endothelial dysfunction, blood pressure, as well as in glucose/insulin metabolism and proteinuria may contribute to increase CV risk in RCC patients and suggest a strict follow-up in this setting. Larger evidences are mandatory to confirm our observations.