Kidney Cancer

The combination of bevacizumab and an investigational nanoparticle-drug conjugate known as CRLX101 failed to improve outcomes in metastatic renal cell carcinoma compared with standard of care.

Active surveillance of small renal masses has been shown in recent years to be a generally safe and reasonable approach, though there are a number of factors for clinicians to keep in mind in taking this path.

Radiotherapy in advanced kidney cancer is generally only used in select metastatic settings, but the use of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy offers promise in a number of indications in this malignancy.

A phase III study of adjuvant girentuximab in patients with high-risk clear cell RCC showed that the drug provided no clinical benefit compared with placebo.

A phase II study of sonepcizumab has failed to meet its primary progression-free survival endpoint in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

The addition of the IMA901 vaccine to sunitinib for the first-line treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma did not improve overall survival.

Treatment with cabozantinib resulted in significantly improved PFS and overall response vs sunitinib for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Patients with renal cell carcinoma at high risk for recurrence had prolonged disease-free survival when treated with sunitinib compared with placebo.

Combining two cancer immunotherapies to target both the interleukin 10 (IL-10) and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) receptors has yielded promising early results for some patients with renal cell carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer.

The FDA announced a modification to the recommended dosage regimen for nivolumab (Opdivo) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC), metastatic melanoma, and non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients with metastatic RCC and a BMI of 25 or greater had significantly longer overall survival compared with patients with a BMI of less than 25, according to the results of a recent study.

Effectively, the field has tested agents for metastatic disease in only two clinical settings: primary management of metastatic disease (first-line) and after progression with a first-line therapy (second-line); however, there are no category 1 data that support the use of any agent in the third-line setting.

The combination of bevacizumab and everolimus had efficacy in patients with unclassified non–clear cell renal cell carcinoma characterized by papillary features, resulting in an objective response rate of 43%.

A new class of agents known as hypoxia-inducible factors-2 inhibitors may be more effective and better tolerated than sunitinib (Sutent), the current standard of care, in patients with renal cell carcinoma.

Patients with RCC who underwent simultaneous nephrectomy and hepatic resection had similar postoperative mortality, long-term survival, and cancer-specific survival as those patients who underwent metastasectomy or en bloc resection of neighboring non-hepatic organs.

Despite treatment advances for renal cell carcinoma, biomarkers are urgently needed for earlier diagnosis and treatment, and quicker assessment of treatment efficacy. Development of such tools has lagged behind biomarker research for more common cancers, and despite encouraging findings from several newly published preclinical studies.

Although the overall incidence of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor-related pneumonitis is rare, the serious adverse event may occur more commonly in certain solid tumor types like non–small-cell lung cancer and renal cell carcinoma.

Patients with kidney cancer who are considered to be in poor functional health were less likely to receive cancer-directed surgery to treat their disease.

The NCI is granting the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center the Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) award worth $11 million to help advance new treatments.

Studies have demonstrated that renal cell carcinoma (RCC) positive for PD-L1 is more likely to respond to PD-1 pathway blockers compared to those patients who are negative for PD-L1.

Undergoing complete metastasectomy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma was associated with improved survival outcomes, according to the results of a meta-analysis.

Certain patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma safely underwent active surveillance of their disease prior to undergoing systemic therapy.

Patients with RCC had greater postsurgical decreases in kidney function compared with patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

A new study has found a series of potential microRNA biomarkers that could predict tyrosine kinase inhibitor response in RCC patients.

Both African-American and Caucasian patients with advanced RCC have seen improved survival with targeted therapies, though African-Americans still experience survival disadvantages.