Anlotinib is a new, orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets 
vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), fibroblast growth factor 
receptor (FGFR), platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFR), and c-kit. 
Compared to the effect of placebo, it improved both progression-free survival 
(PFS) and overall survival (OS) in a phase III trial in patients with advanced 
non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), despite progression of the cancer after two 
lines of prior treatments. Recently, the China Food and Drug Administration 
(CFDA) approved single agent anlotinib as a third-line treatment for patients 
with advanced NSCLC. Moreover, a randomized phase IIB trial demonstrated that 
anlotinib significantly prolonged the median PFS in patients with advanced soft 
tissue sarcoma (STS). Anlotinib also showed promising efficacy in patients with 
advanced medullary thyroid carcinoma and metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). 
The tolerability profile of anlotinib is similar to that of other tyrosine 
kinase inhibitors that target VEGFR and other tyrosine kinase-mediated pathways; 
however, anlotinib has a significantly lower incidence of grade 3 or higher side 
effects compared to that of sunitinib. We review the rationale, clinical 
evidence, and future perspectives of anlotinib for the treatment of multiple 
cancers.