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CURE’s kidney cancer page is an extensive resource of cancer information featuring the latest kidney cancer news, expert oncologist insights on the latest cancer treatments, oncology research, advocacy efforts, and medical data on kidney cancer.

It’s been a busy few weeks here at CURE® and in the oncology space as a whole, as the last two weekends had back-to-back meetings: the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s 

Here are some highlights from the conference, but as always, you can find all of our coverage at curetoday.com.

Imfinzi, Avastin, TACE May ‘Set a New Standard of Care’ in Liver Cancer

For patients with liver cancer whose disease is not eligible to be removed via surgery, adding Imfinzi and Avastin to transarterial chemoembolization — also known as TACE — tended to lengthen the time patients lived before their disease got worse, according to findings from the EMRALD-1 trial. These improvements in progression-free survival over TACE alone could lead to a new standard of care for this patient population, according to the lead study author, Dr. Riccardo Lencioni.

More specifically, patients who received Imfinzi and Avastin plus TACE lived for a median of 15 months before death or disease worsening, compared to 8.2 months for patients who received TACE alone. This correlates to a 23% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death, and benefits were seen across different patient subgroups.

Notably, the researchers on EMRALD-1 are still monitoring how the addition of the two drugs impacts overall survival. Once those data become more clear, it is possible that the drug manufacturers could submit this regimen to the FDA for approval, thereby officially shaking up the standard of care of TACE, which has remained the main treatment in this setting for about two decades.

Cancer in Bloodstream May Predict CRC Outcomes

Circulating tumor DNA — also known as ctDNA — was another hot topic at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. So ctDNA measures little fragments of cancer that are found in the bloodstream after cancer treatment.

Now, findings from the BESPOKE trial highlight the fact that ctDNA may offer insight into the recurrence risk in patients with stage 2/3 colorectal cancer who underwent surgery and then chemotherapy. The researchers used ctDNA to help determine minimal residual disease, or MRD, status. Essentially, patients with disease still detected in the blood stream were MRD positive, while those without detectable cancer were MRD negative. Findings showed that those with MRD negativity tended to live longer without experiencing relapse or death compared to patients with MRD positivity.

Survival Benefits with Keytruda and Padcev in Advanced Urothelial Cancer

Back in December, the Food and Drug Administration approved Padcev plus Keytruda for patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. The approval was based on primary findings from the EV-302 trial. Now, updated findings from that trial are showing that the drug duo continues to outperform chemotherapy when it comes to progression-free survival — that’s the time patients live before their disease gets worse — as well as overall survival, which is the time patients live before death of any cause.

Notably, these survival benefits were seen across patient subgroups, such as those with visceral metastases and lymph node-only disease. According to the lead study author, Dr. Michiel S. Van Der Heijden, this could result in a new standard of care in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

Many Patients Miss Out on Testing to Guide Prostate Cancer Treatment

On the prostate cancer front, a study found that many people with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer are not undergoing germline or somatic testing. Now this is really important because back in 2020, two PARP inhibitors were approved in this setting. These are targeted drugs approved for patients whose cancers have certain characteristics, which can be determined by these types of tests.

Rates of germline and somatic testing have increased since the FDA approvals, but according to the study — which looked at real-world evidence of patients being treated in community cancer and urology centers — about 40% of patients did not undergo standard-of-care testing.

Study author, Dr. Neal Shore, said that this indicates the need for improved education on the importance of germline and somatic testing.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to 

Here are some of the top stories from the recent Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium as well as the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. 

Highlights from the Gastrointestinal and Genitourinary Cancer Conferences 

The FDA is certainly staying busy as 2023 comes to a close, approving three treatments for patients with cancer last week alone.

Additionally, exciting study findings were released regarding a cancer vaccine for the treatment of melanoma.

FDA Approves Iwilfin for High-Risk Neuroblastoma in Adults and Children

The FDA approved has Iwilfin (eflornithine) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma who have shown at least a partial response to a previous multiagent modality therapy, which includes anti-GD2 immunotherapy.

Notably, the FDA reported that this drug is the first approval of a therapy used to reduce the risk of relapse in children with high-risk neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma, as the National Cancer Institute explained on its website, is a cancer of immature nerve cells that most typically occurs in children, and often begins in the adrenal glands.

The FDA said the major efficacy outcome measure behind the approval was event-free survival (EFS; time after treatment when cancer does not come back or worsen; disease progression), while other notable findings included overall survival (OS; length of time from diagnosis or start of treatment when a patient is still alive).

FDA Approves Welireg for Advanced Kidney Cancer Subtype

The FDA approved Welireg ((beluztifan) for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who have been previously treated with a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor, and a vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGF-TKI).

The approval was based on findings from the LITESPARK-005 trial. Trial findings presented earlier this year at the European Society of Medical Oncology Annual Congress (ESMO) showed that at a median follow-up of 18.4 months, patients treated with Welireg experienced objective response rates (patients whose disease responded partially or completely to treatment) of 21.9%, compared with 3.5% among patients treated with Afinitor (everolimus), and 12-month progression-free survival (PFS; the time a patient lives without their disease spreading or worsening) rates were 33.7% on Welireg versus 17.6% with Afinitor, and 18-month PFS rates were 22.5% and 9%, respectively.

FDA Approves Padcev-Keytruda Combo in Advanced Bladder Cancer

The FDA has additionally approved Padcev (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) plus Ketruda (pembrolizumab) for patients with locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. Alongside this, the FDA previously 

unable to be treated with cisplatin-containing chemotherapy

In the recent EV-302/KN-A39 trial, both OS and PFS showed significant improvements among the Padcev plus Keytruda group of patients, as the median overall survival for these patients was 31.5 months, while a cohort treated with chemotherapy experienced a median OS of 16.1 months.

Regarding progression-free survival, the median was 12.5 months for the Padcev-Keytruda combination group and 6.3 months in the chemotherapy group.

Cancer Vaccine Plus Keytruda Reduces Risk of Recurrence or Death in Melanoma

Patients with advanced-stage melanoma continue to experience reduced risk of recurrence or death following treatment with a combination of mRNA vaccine mRNA-4157 (V940), an investigational individualized neoantigen therapy (INT), and Keytruda, according to recent study findings.

The mRNA-4157 (V940) and Keytruda combination reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 49% and the risk of distant metastasis or death by 62% when compared with treatment with Keytruda alone in patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma with high risk of recurrence following complete resection, as determined by 

 study, according to a news release from drug manufacturers Moderna and Merck.

The latest findings, from a median planned follow-up of approximately three years, build on previously announced primarily analysis data from a median planned follow-up of approximately two years which showed that the combination reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 44% and the risk of distance metastasis or death by 65% when compared with Keytruda alone.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation

 to the combination for the post-surgical treatment of patients with high-risk melanoma earlier this year.

Moderna and Merck have also announced the phase 3 INTerpath-001 (V940-001) clinical trial to evaluate the combination as an adjuvant treatment for patients with resected, high-risk stage 3B to 4 melanoma, which is currently enrolling participants, as well as a phase 3 trial for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with the combination regimen.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved treatment for some patients with neuroblastoma, kidney cancer and bladder cancer. Elsewhere, a cancer vaccine made headlines for the treatment of patients with melanoma.

FDA Approves 3 Treatments, Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise

After being diagnosed with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, a rare tumor disorder, Sean Korbitz spent most of his 20s and 30s hoping to make it to his 60. However, after starting a new medication, he is feeling more optimistic about having a “normal life span.”

For six months in 2007, Korbitz threw up every morning and his doctors had no idea why. Suspecting a pinched nerve in his neck, Korbitz’s doctors ordered the Colorado native MRIs for his head and neck.

Within a couple of hours, he was undergoing emergency surgery. The MRI revealed that Korbitz had a brain tumor that had been growing for six months.

In today’s episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, Korbitz explains what it was like to receive a diagnosis of a rare genetic disease     

as a young adult, how his life has changed since going on Welireg, his work with the VHL Alliance, his advice for patients with VHL disease and more.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to

VHL Alliance

When Sean Korbitz was a 20-year-old college student, his life trajectory changed with a rare cancer diagnosis, resulting in the removal of 40 tumors; fifteen years later, a new drug made him feel like a “medical miracle.”  

Welireg Made a von Hippel-Lindau Survivor Feel Like a 'Medical Miracle'

After being diagnosed with kidney cancer — which was a possible result of 

 in New York City – Steven Edwards realized that he had to be his own advocate. Pivotal to his advocacy was asking questions and getting as many professional opinions as possible.

“I probably would consider whether it was the right doctor for me in the first place if a doctor was upset about getting a second opinion, because it’s all about gathering education and becoming educated yourself,” Edwards said in an interview with CURE®.

Edwards went through multiple different treatments, including the participation on a clinical trial, and continues to push for better outcomes for himself and other survivors through being an advocate for the Kidney Cancer Association and KidneyCAN.

Through cancer setbacks like a diagnosis of metastatic disease in 2017, classifying Edwards’ disease as stage 4, he continues to seek information in this rapidly changing field. After all, “There’s only way to go, and that’s forward,” Edwards said.

If an oncologist was apprehensive about Steven Edwards getting a second opinion, that might not be the right doctor for him, the kidney cancer survivor said. 

On Kidney Cancer Advocacy: ‘There’s Only One Way to Go, and That’s Forward’

After a routine physical led to his kidney cancer diagnosis, one patient advocate and survivor has cherished every day he’s had with his family and uses this as motivation to help raise awareness during 

“Renal cell carcinoma is like a phantom in your body,” said Ed, who was treated as part of a clinical trial at Fox Chase Cancer Center after he had exhausted all other surgical options.

Now in remission, Ed has one piece of advice for others facing this diagnosis: Keep on keeping on.

In this week’s episode, we spoke with a patient advocate and survivor of renal cell carcinoma to help raise awareness during Kidney Cancer Awareness month.

How One Survivor 'Keeps On Keeping On'

There is currently no strong evidence that additional immune therapy benefits patients with renal cell carcinoma who were treated in the advanced setting.

Reassessing Immunotherapy Use in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

Subcutaneous Opdivo showed comparable effectiveness, safety and tolerability to IV Opdivo in advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Subcutaneous Opdivo Similarly Effective, Safe as IV for Advanced ccRCC

Following a social media takeover with CURE, Sid Sadler sat down to talk about the topic of Kidney Cancer Awareness Month  and patient advocacy.

A Patient Shares Insights on Kidney Cancer Awareness and Advocacy

There were a number of notable developments for patients with kidney cancer at the symposium, Dr. Emre Yekedüz explained.

What Patients With Kidney Cancer Need to Know From ASCO GU

Favorable initial results from a phase 1/2 trial of solnerstotug in PD-L1–resistant tumors showed a 14% response rate and 62% disease control rate.

Solnerstotug Demonstrates Early Efficacy in PD-L1 Resistant Tumors

Dr. Hyung L. Kim discusses how the addition of cytoreductive nephrectomy to ICI therapy may affect survival and quality of life those with kidney cancer.

Investigating the Addition of Surgery to ICI Therapy in Kidney Cancer 

A cytoreductive nephrectomy is a surgery which is performed to remove a kidney tumor that has metastasized (spread) to other areas, according to the Kidney Cancer Association website, which added that this approach has offered the best option to prolong survival for people with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer.

In the phase 3 randomized SWOG S1931 (PROBE) study, investigators evaluated an immune checkpoint inhibitor combination regimen with or without cytoreductive nephrectomy in patients with advanced renal cancer. Overall, investigators aimed to understand if there was a survival benefit to utilizing a cytoreductive nephrectomy in metastatic kidney cancer treatment.

In the trial, patients were initially started on a combination therapeutic regimen and after approximately three months of treatment, patients who presented with either stable disease or partial response were randomized to surgery verses no surgery. All of these patients were then followed for overall survival data analysis.

In order to further discuss the trial, its findings and impact on patients with advanced renal cancer, study author, Dr. Hyung L. Kim sat down to discuss how the addition of cytoreductive nephrectomy to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy may affect overall survival and quality of life for this patient population.

Kim currently holds various positions at Cedars-Sinai, Urology, located in Los Angeles, including professor; associate director, Urology Residency Training Program; chair, Department of Urology; co-medical director, Urologic Oncology Center; and director, Academic Urology Program. He also serves as the associate director of Surgical Research, as well as the Homer and Gloria Harvey Family Chair in Urologic Oncology in honor of Stuart Friedman, MD.

Most patients have heard of cytoreductive nephrectomy when they begin to do research on their own. [Individuals] with metastatic kidney cancer, when they come to [their] urologist, [understandably] just want their tumor out. We [then] spend a lot of time trying to explain to them that in in the setting of metastatic disease, we don't usually perform surgery.

However, you know, our job is then to explain why we have this trial, why [patients] ought to participate, and how [this will] help us in answering an important question.

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CURE speaks with patient advocate and kidney cancer survivor Sid Sadler.

Raising Awareness for Kidney Cancer and the Challenges Patients Face

It is important to recognize Kidney Cancer Awareness Month as a time to get involved, as more than 600,000 people in the U.S. live with kidney cancer.

Kidney Cancer

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