Kidney Cancer

Checkpoint inhibitors are moving into the treatment realm of renal cell carcinoma; however, questions still remain.

Many patients with renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer, experience high levels of distress, according to study findings published in BJU International.

Targeted drugs are controversial in early-stage kidney cancer, but play a more important role in treating advanced disease.

More than 20 percent of patients with non–clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) had a germline mutation, of which half had the potential to direct systemic therapy.

Experts at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center discovered a way to assess if a kidney tumor is benign or malignant, potentially sparing many from having to undergo surgery.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network updated its Clinical Practice Guidelines to add two new options for the frontline treatment of patients with kidney cancer.

Immunotherapy pioneers James P. Allison and Dr. Tasuku Honjo have won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research that eventually led to the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat cancer.

PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors are generally well-tolerated, so most patients face little or no issues with the drugs. However, there are still some things to look out for.

Immunotherapy is making landmark change in the treatment of patients with genitourinary (GU) cancers, with bladder cancer being the pioneer in the field, having five FDA-approved checkpoint inhibitors. But kidney cancer is not far behind, with a breakthrough therapy designation granted for a Keytruda (pembrolizumab) combination this past January.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the immunotherapy combination of Yervoy (ipilimumab) plus Opdivo (nivolumab) to treat patients with intermediate- or poor-risk advanced renal cell carcinoma in the frontline setting.

After a recent FDA approval for an additional dosing schedule option for Opdivo, patients must be educated on the potential side effects that may occur between prolonged visits.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental biologics license application adding a four-week dosing schedule for Opdivo (nivolumab) across several of the PD-1 inhibitor’s indications.

A new combination – Keytruda (pembrolizumab) plus Lenvima (lenvatinib) – was granted a breakthrough therapy designation to treat patients with advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Cabometyx (cabozantinib) was granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for previously untreated patients who have advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Frontline Opdivo (nivolumab) plus Yervoy (ipilimumab) was granted a priority review to a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) to be used to treat patients with intermediate- and poor-risk patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

The FDA approved Sutent to be used in patients who had a nephrectomy and are at high risk of their kidney cancer returning.