Renal Cell Carcinoma

Frederick L. Locke, MD, discusses how chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies have evolved over the last 30 years of research in the field of hematologic malignancies.

The success of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy observed in hematologic malignancies has not yet translated into the solid tumor setting; however, efforts continue to try to bring this new modality into the treatment paradigm for solid tumors, including pancreatic cancer. 

Under the 2019 update to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, the recommendation on the management of advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma has undergone a major shift in defining the risk category used to define preferred and alternative first-line treatments.

The healthcare community is still awaiting a response from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to the opposition of the agency’s proposal to substantially revise the Medicare Part D protected drug classes.

Overtreating men 70 years or older with prostate cancer cost Medicare more than $1.2 billion from 2004 to 2007, according to the results of a retrospective study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare linked database.

First-line treatment with single-agent pembrolizumab induced a 24.8% overall response rate in patients with&nbsp;non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma, according to&nbsp;findings from cohort B of the phase II KEYNOTE-427 trial that were presented during the 2019 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.<br /> &nbsp;

According to phase I findings from a dose-escalation cohort presented during the 2019 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, the combination of pembrolizumab and cabozantinib demonstrated antitumor activity in patients with previously treated metastatic renal cell carcinoma and is tolerated at their approved doses for this indication.

A supplemental biologics license application for the combination of pembrolizumab and axitinib has received a priority review designation from the FDA&nbsp;as a frontline treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, primarily based on data from the phase III KEYNOTE-426 study.

In updated 30-month follow-up data from the&nbsp;phase III CheckMate-214 trial, nivolumab combined with low-dose ipilimumab sustained strong responses and a survival benefit as a frontline treatment for patients with intermediate- and poor-risk advanced renal cell carcinoma.

The combination of&nbsp;avelumab and axitinib has been given a priority review designation by the FDA for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Findings from the phase III KEYNOTE-426 study demonstrated a significantly improved progression-free survival and overall survival with the combination&nbsp;pembrolizumab plus axitinib versus&nbsp;sunitinib in previously-untreated patients with&nbsp;clear cell metastatic renal cell carcinoma, according to a prescast ahead of the&nbsp;2019 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

Based on a recommendation from the FDA,&nbsp;Aveo Oncology has decided not to submit a new drug application for&nbsp;tivozanib. The FDA has advised it was not satisfied with&nbsp;the preliminary overall survival data from the phase III TIVO-3 trial of patients with highly refractory, advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma.