Term: Afinitor

Pronunciation: (uh-FIH-nih-tor)

Description:

A drug that contains the active ingredient everolimus and is used alone or with other drugs to treat certain types of breast cancer, kidney cancer, and pancreatic, lung, and gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors. Afinitor is also used to treat a type of benign kidney tumor called renal angiomyolipoma and a type of benign brain tumor called subependymal giant cell astrocytoma in patients who have tuberous sclerosis. Afinitor blocks a protein involved in cell division, which may help keep abnormal cells, including cancer cells, from growing. It may also prevent the growth of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow. Afinitor is a type of kinase inhibitor and a type of angiogenesis inhibitor.