Is lenvatinib/lenvatinib a targeted drug or an immune drug?

Lenvatinib is considered an oral targeted therapy, not an immunologic drug. It blocks proteins on cells and signals that target blood vessels to help slow the growth and spread of certain types of cancer. Lenvatinib is approved on the market to treat certain forms of thyroid, kidney, liver and endometrial cancer.

Targeted drugs block tumor cell growth (cytostatic), whereas standard chemotherapy drugs usually kill tumor cells directly (cytotoxic). Targeted drug treatments can be used alone or together with other cancer treatments. For example, lenvatinib is used in combination with pembrolizumab (an immunotherapy) to treat endometrial cancer or first-line kidney cancer. Immunotherapy can be used alone or in combination with other types of cancer treatments. Examples of common immunotherapy drugs include pembrolizumab and nivolumab.

Lenvatinib is classified as an oral multi-receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor that blocks certain proteins that promote cancer cell growth. It is also known as a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) inhibitor. It blocks signals that help slow the growth of new blood vessels in existing blood vessels that support tumor growth (angiogenesis). In a syngeneic mouse tumor model, lenvatinib reduced tumor-associated macrophages, increased activated cytotoxic T cells, and showed greater anti-tumor activity in combination with an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody compared with treatment alone.