Summary
Vandetanib has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Colorectal Cancer would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Colorectal Cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Vandetanib to Colorectal Cancer: 8 have completed. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT00500292). It plans or enrolled 109 participants. Registration activity spans 2005 to 2017. The literature layer holds 6 publications for this pair: 2 meta-analyses and 4 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2009 to 2020. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Colorectal Cancer ranks 1212 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Essentially zero; 5-year survival stage I: ~90% (resectable); stage IV: ~15% overall, ~20-30% with modern therapy and liver metastasis resection.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 61.0 (trials 25.0, literature 16.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 8 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 6 (4 clinical trial publications, 2 meta-analyses) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | APC |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT00500292 | A Phase II Study of 2 Doses of ZD6474 (Vandetanib) in Combination With FOLFOX vs FOLFOX Alone for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer 2007 | completed | Phase 2 | 109 |
| NCT00454116 | A Phase II, Double Blind Study of 2 Doses of ZACTIMA™(ZD6474) in Combination With FOLFIRI vs FOLFIRI Alone for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer in Patients 2007 | completed | Phase 2 | 106 |
| NCT00499850 | Phase I FOLFOX Combination 2005 | completed | Phase 1 | 18 |
| NCT00507091 | Phase I Irinotecan, 5-Fluorouracil and Leucovorin Combination 2005 | completed | Phase 1 | 24 |
| NCT00532909 | Phase I Vandetanib Plus Capecitabine, Oxaliplatin and Bevacizumab for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer 2006 | completed | Phase 1 | 13 |
| NCT00436072 | ZD6474, Cetuximab, and Irinotecan in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer 2007 | completed | Phase 1 | 46 |
| NCT00496509 | Phase I Efficacy On Vascular Permeability In Patients With Advanced Colorectal Cancer 2006 | completed | Phase 1 | 24 |
| NCT03291379 | Vandetanib-eluting Radiopaque Embolic Beads in Patients With Resectable Liver Malignancies 2017 | completed | Early Phase 1 | 8 |
Published literature
- Meta-analysis Incidence and risk of proteinuria associated with newly approved vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors in cancer patients: an up-to-date meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsZhang W, Feng LJ, Teng F et al. · Expert review of clinical pharmacology · 2020 · PMID 32105149
- Meta-analysis Incidence and relative risk of hepatic toxicity in patients treated with anti-angiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitors for malignancyIacovelli R, Palazzo A, Procopio G et al. · British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2014 · PMID 23981115
- Clinical trial publication Phase I study of cetuximab, irinotecan, and vandetanib (ZD6474) as therapy for patients with previously treated metastastic colorectal cancerMeyerhardt JA, Ancukiewicz M, Abrams TA et al. · PloS one · 2012 · PMID 22701615
- Clinical trial publication A phase I trial of vandetanib combined with capecitabine, oxaliplatin and bevacizumab for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancerCabebe EC, Fisher GA, Sikic BI · Investigational new drugs · 2012 · PMID 21404105
- Clinical trial publication Vandetanib with FOLFIRI in patients with advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma: results from an open-label, multicentre Phase I studySaunders MP, Wilson R, Peeters M et al. · Cancer chemotherapy and pharmacology · 2009 · PMID 19184020
- Clinical trial publication Open-label phase I trial of vandetanib in combination with mFOLFOX6 in patients with advanced colorectal cancerMichael M, Gibbs P, Smith R et al. · Investigational new drugs · 2009 · PMID 19002384
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target APC. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vandetanib approved for Colorectal Cancer?
Vandetanib has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Colorectal Cancer would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Colorectal Cancer. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Vandetanib in clinical trials for Colorectal Cancer?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Vandetanib to Colorectal Cancer: 8 have completed. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT00500292). It plans or enrolled 109 participants. Registration activity spans 2005 to 2017.
What does the evidence show for Vandetanib in Colorectal Cancer?
Vandetanib has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Colorectal Cancer. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target APC. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.