Kidney Cancer

Ten years ago, patients with advanced RCC had very few treatment options, yet today, there are multiple therapeutic strategies and more in the pipeline for this not-very-common tumor type, writes our editor-in-chief, Debu Tripathy.

While many new treatment options have been introduced for kidney cancer in recent years, the question of how to sequence them is still being debated.

A recent study showed a correlation between higher body mass index and survival in some patients with kidney cancer.

Most people don't know much about kidney cancer at the time of their diagnosis. The Kidney Cancer Association wants to change that.

Jorge Garcia offers insight about the benefits of Cabometyx and the drug's impact on RCC.

Randy F. Sweis talks to CURE about the future of treatment for GU cancers.

A recent phase 3 study showed that Sutent extended disease-free survival for patients with renal cell carcinoma.

Sumanta K. Pal weighs in on a new drug combination that is showing promise for patients with RCC who progressed on Cabometyx (cabozantinib) and Opdivo (nivolumab).

The treatment paradigm in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has expanded over recent months to include three practice-changing agents in the second-line setting.

Not only is Opdivo changing the way RCC is being treated, but the immunotherapy is also here to stay, according to David F. McDermott.

Previously treated patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma saw a higher overall survival rate with Cabometyx when compared to those on Afinitor, according to a phase 3 study.

In the longest follow-up of an anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in RCC, about one-third of the patients treated with single-agent Opdivo are still alive four and five years later.

What are the next steps for immunotherapy in RCC? CURE spoke with Mark Ball to find out.

After a phase 2 study, Lenvima and Afinitor gained FDA approval for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma.

“This is a small-site, single-arm study, but these preliminary data are encouraging,” says lead study author Roberto Pili. “It suggests that this combination of an HDAC inhibitor can induce a greater benefit with an immunotherapy — in this case, IL-2.”

Despite advances in treatment for bladder cancer and RCC, there is still an unmet need for navigating biomarkers that will offer insight as to which patients will respond best to treatment.

“There are a lot of drugs, many targets, and still no cures,” says Figlin. “There is still an unmet need, despite the plethora of agents that have been approved in this space.”

As treatments for kidney cancer continue to evolve, oncologists, surgeons and patients are faced with a number of questions.

The field of immunotherapy has been revitalized thanks to the approval of checkpoint inhibitors, and according to Mario Sznol, this could prove beneficial to patients with RCC.

The Kidney Cancer Association was part of the force behind the many kidney cancer advancements in the past decade, but they won't stop there.

New pathways for secondary-line treatment are coming available to patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Cometriq elicited a statistically significant improvement in survival compared with Afinitor as a treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma following progression on one prior therapy.

Cometriq significantly improved progression-free survival versus Afinitor in patients with renal cell carcinoma regardless of the degree of metastases, type or number of prior treatments, or patient risk status.

The approval was based on an extension in overall survival (OS) in the CheckMate-025 trial.

As part of this program, the FDA plans to take action on the drug's application within six months instead of the standard 10 months under regular review.

The breakthrough therapy designation will expedite the development and review of Opdivo in advanced renal cell carcinoma.

By empowering the body to fight breast and renal cancers, immunotherapies are poised to improve the treatment landscape.

Better treatment and follow-up are being credited with a reduction in the likelihood that survivors of childhood cancers will later die of illnesses caused by their therapy, such as new malignancies or cardiac or lung disease.

Research presented at ASCO shows late effects of childhood cancer treatment lessening.

In a recent study, researchers looked at statins and survival outcomes, along with potential side effects, in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.