Axitinib, a selective inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, exerts an anticancer effect in melanoma through promoting antitumor immunity.

In this study, we investigated the antitumor activity of axitinib, a selective inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases, against melanoma cells. Axitinib dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of B16F1 cells in vitro. In a mouse model