The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval to Pfizer, Inc. for SUTENT ® (sunitinib malate) to treat patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

BOSTON, Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Through a grant provided by the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation (www.caringforcarcinoid.org), researchers at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered several key mutations in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. This significant finding holds the promise of improving patient diagnosis and treatment and brings the neuroendocrine cancer community closer to a cure. Neuroendocrine cancers affect approximately 100,000 patients in the United States, including, according to published reports, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc.

On December 10, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology convened a meeting to explore ways to collaborate across borders on clinical trials for rare cancers. The meeting brought together nearly 100 representatives from 75 institutions, including the National Institute of Health's Office for Rare Disease Research, the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the Food and Drug Administration.