Hello Alfred,
Thank you fro the update (see insert)

That (description) seems to be similar to the father of the person posting
on sci.med.diseases.cancer except your friend had cancer in her shoulder
and lung before she bagan Sutent and his father had one kidney removed.
He's just recently reported that his father was given an injection in hip,
for pain, and I am awaiting his reply as to whether arthritis is suspected
and it was a steroid injection.
I think he lives a ways from his father, so has to wait for communications
or until he goes there to visit.
Nothing concrete to report in his lungs except he's spitting up clear
fluids, the cough's back.

I don't know what their criteria is. Perhaps it will be enough if she can
prove non progression (with scans of her lungs and shoulder and ??) ?
Some places in the US are still recruiting
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00130897?order=1

I worry about that for the other fellow. I think he's paying it all
himself for his father /buying online.
I imagine if the hip proves to be cancer, they might stop the medication.
Have to wait and see. Scans cost - I don't think they have insurance at
all, so there's no point in bankrupting himself having his father have too
frequent scans.

I suspect, but could be wrong, that there's so few kidney cancer patients
worldwide (comparatively speaking to other more common cancers) and so few
on Sutent, that the value of Sutent is hard to pin point from a few
studies.

Same for your friend (might quit it, hope she doesn't bankrupt herself),
if scans start showing progression.
Thanks for update. Thanks for helping your friend, Alfred.
J

The product is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor designed to deprive the tumor
cells of the blood and nutrients needed to grow. According to another
webpage.

I don't think I've posted these before for you.  She'll be at the 9-month
median in 4 months, right?
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/onctools/summary.cfm?ID=370
U.S. Food and Drug Administration • Center for Drug Evaluation and
Research
FDA Oncology Tools Approval Summary for sunitinib maleate for Accel.
Approv. (clinical benefit not established) for the treatment of advanced
renal cell carcinoma. Approval for advanced renal cell carcinoma is based
on partial response rates and duration of responses.
There are no randomized trials of SUTENT demonstrating clinical benefit
such as increased survival or improvement in disease-related symptoms in
renal cell carcinoma.

http://professional.cancerconsultants.com/news.aspx?id=36671
In phase I-II studies, Sutent demonstrated antitumor and antiangiogenic
activity in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), as well as other solid tumors.
[Phase I and II measure for efficacy and dosing - safety ]

In one phase II study, Sutent was administered to 63 patients with
measurable RCC, who had failed one prior cytokine therapy. Patients
received 6-week cycles of Sutent, consisting of 50 mg daily for 4 weeks,
followed by 2 weeks off treatment. The partial response (PR) rate was 40%
with 27% having disease stabilization for 3 or more weeks. The median time
to disease progression was 9 months. Of the patients who achieved PR, the
median duration of response was 16.4 months. Fifteen of the 25 patients
who responded have progressed, 2 discontinued and 8 remain on treatment
for up to 2 years. This and other studies provided the data for FDA
approval of Sutent for treatment of RCC.

Hello Alfred.
We haven't hear from you since November.
How's it going, Please check in.
J