Kidney Cancer

The combination of Cabometyx (cabozantinib) plus Opdivo (nivolumab) “is certainly going to become one of the new standards of care” for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma now that the regimen is approved, according to an expert from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Positive results from the phase 3 CLEAR clinical trial, presented at the 2021 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, are just one more dataset that could offer “a sense of hope and promise” for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), says the study’s lead author, Dr. Robert J. Motzer.

In June 2020, Kayla Bulkley gave birth to her and her husband’s long-awaited baby girl, Jane. Within a month, Kayla was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

The study results, according to one expert, show that Cabometyx should be considered the new standard for systemic therapy in patients with metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma.

The results of the phase 3 trial, according to one expert, support the use of Lenvima with Keytruda as a possible first-line treatment option for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Treatment with sapanisertib was associated with limited activity and poor safety outcomes in patients with refractory metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

For patients to maintain or improve their quality of life through their cancer treatment, it is pivotal that they communicate with their health care team.

Clinical trials remain the gold standard when it comes to finding new treatment options for patients, particularly when it comes to renal cell carcinoma. But even if the results are positive and this combination proves to be beneficial, patients should still discuss all of their options with their oncologist to find the right sequence of treatment, says one expert.

Front-line treatment with Opdivo plus Cabometyx improved health-related quality of life outcomes in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Patients with metastatic non–clear cell renal cell carcinoma who receive immune checkpoint inhibitor–based regimens as a first treatment option may have improved survival, versus those who receive select targeted therapies.

A higher starting dose of Lenvima, compared with a lower starting dose, prolonged the time that patients with renal cell carcinoma experienced negative effects on factors including social and physical functioning, financial difficulties and cogitative functioning over time.

The combination of Lenvima plus everolimus was found to be an acceptable treatment option for patients who have previously received immunotherapy for clear cell renal cell carcinoma, according to the findings of an exploratory analysis of a phase 2 trial presented virtually at the 2021 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

After a fast-track designation, the Food and Drug Administration approved the combination of Cabometyx and Opdivo in the firstline setting for patients with advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Patients older than 75 years experienced more toxicity with mTOR inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors and checkpoint immunotherapy compared with those younger than 75 years, but researchers found that age did not impact outcomes like progression-free survival and overall survival.

Patients with advanced or metastatic kidney cancer treated with the novel drug combination achieved a median progression-free survival of 9.2 months compared to 9.3 months among patients who received Cabometyx with a placebo.

A roundup of some kidney cancer news and updates that occurred in 2020 that patients may have missed.

With the second COVID-19 vaccine receiving emergency use authorization by the FDA, patients with cancer undergoing treatment should keep in mind how it may affect their therapy and the potential difference between the two vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

The FDA is reviewing what could become the first-ever medication specifically for kidney cancer associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease.

A liquid biopsy may soon be available to find early signs of cancer in asymptomatic patients when the disease is still treatable and even curable.

The FDA granted a priority review to the biologics license application and new drug application for the combination of Opdivo and Cabometyx for patients with advanced kidney cancer.

“The combination of cabozantinib (Cabometyx) and atezolizumab (Tecentriq) demonstrated encouraging clinical activity in previously untreated patients with advanced ccRCC,” Dr. Sumanta Kumar Pal, co-director of the Kidney Cancer Program at City of Hope in California, said during a presentation of the clear cell renal cell carcinoma cohort.

For some patients with metastatic kidney cancer, undergoing surgery after targeted or immune therapy sparks better health outcomes.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the care of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma and other cancers, health care professionals are working together to stay vigilant and make the best treatment decisions for their patients by pooling their data with tools like the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium, says Dr. Toni K. Choueiri.

Many factors impact outcomes in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, but recent findings suggest a patient’s age and gender are perhaps more important than previously realized.

The liquid biopsy test was also approved as a companion diagnostic test to uncover EGFR mutations in patients with NSCLC who could benefit from treatment with Tagrisso.