# REMORA: lenvatinib in advanced or metastatic thymic carcinoma

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-remora-lenvatinib-thymic-carcinoma-lancet-oncol-2020/  
OnCo record `paper-remora-lenvatinib-thymic-carcinoma-lancet-oncol-2020` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

In a Japanese trial the multi-kinase inhibitor lenvatinib shrank thymic carcinoma in about four in ten patients whose disease had progressed after platinum chemotherapy, leading to its approval in Japan.

## Summary

Multicentre single-arm phase 2 trial of 42 patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic thymic carcinoma previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy, given lenvatinib 24 mg daily.

The objective response rate was 38 percent and median progression-free survival 9.3 months. Hypertension and hand-foot syndrome were common and most patients needed dose reductions.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-18
- Journal: The Lancet Oncology
- Year: 2020
- DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30162-5
- Authors: Sato J, Satouchi M, Itoh S, et al.
- Findings: Objective response rate 38 percent; median progression-free survival 9.3 months.; Grade 3 hypertension and palmar-plantar erythrodysaesthesia were frequent and dose reductions were the rule.
- What it means: Lenvatinib is one of the few drugs with prospective evidence in thymic carcinoma after chemotherapy, alongside sunitinib and pembrolizumab.
- Caveats: Single-arm, single-country trial; no comparator.; Toxicity at the 24 mg dose limits use in frail patients.

## Sources

- Lancet Oncol 2020: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30162-5
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32502444/

## Connected records

- cancers: [Thymic carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/thymic-carcinoma/)
- drugs: [Lenvatinib](https://onco.cc/drugs/lenvatinib/)
- journals: [The Lancet Oncology](https://onco.cc/journals/lancet-oncology/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/paper-remora-lenvatinib-thymic-carcinoma-lancet-oncol-2020.json