Kidney Cancer

A novel optical imaging technology is showing promise as a potential diagnostic tool for renal cell carcinoma.

New, large-scale studies on active surveillance, IMRT complications, and robotic versus open prostatectomy were among the highlights of this year’s Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

Kidney cancer patients were more likely to undergo partial nephrectomy when treated in hospitals that were early adopters of robotic surgery, according to a recent report that one leading expert calls “some of the best evidence to date of a favorable impact of surgical robots in urologic care.”

Monish Aron, MD, presents the take home messages on kidney cancer from the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

K.C. Balaji, MD, presents the take home messages on basic science research from the AUA annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

Two recently published Mayo Clinic studies provide genetic clues to clear cell renal cell carcinoma that may have important therapeutic implications, researchers say.

None of the comparative studies of robotic radical nephrectomies (RRN) and laparoscopic radical nephrectomies (LRN) has shown benefit of RRN over LRN. Why then are so many minimally invasive RNs performed this way?

Urologists continue to push the limits of minimally invasive surgery, and key papers presented at the AUA meeting will explore the functional and cancer control outcomes associated with minimally invasive and robotic procedures in prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma. When to use such approaches remains a source of controversy.

Drugs and devices in the pipeline from Astellas Pharma, Medivation, Repros Therapeutics, Metamark Genetics, Argos Therapeutics, S1 Biopharma, Ipsen, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, Antigen Express, Generex Biotechnology, Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, and Absorption Pharmaceuticals.

A study from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York sheds light on the “obesity paradox” seen with renal cell carcinoma while at the same time demonstrating the emerging value of genomics in understanding cancer and other diseases.

The take-home message is that for sorafenib and sunitinib, sequencing does not appear to be drug dependent and either can be used as first- or second-line therapy.

The sequential use of two targeted treatments for metastatic renal cell carcinoma appears to yield similar total progression-free survival regardless of the order in which they are given, phase III study results indicate.

Prostate cancer has made its way into another set of Choosing Wisely recommendations, this time from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The tyrosine kinase inhibitors pazopanib (Votrient) and sunitinib (Sutent) had similar benefits in delaying progression of advanced renal cell carcinoma, but the safety profile and many measures of quality of life favored pazopanib, according to data from a recently published multicenter study.

Andrew Wagner, MD, presents the take home messages on kidney cancer from the AUA annual meeting in San Diego.

AVEO Oncology recently announced that it has received a complete response letter from the FDA informing the company that the FDA will not approve in its present form the new drug application for AVEO’s investigational agent tivozanib for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Physicians and patients alike may not be aware of the benefits of nephron-sparing surgical methods, according to a recent study.

Researchers at UCLA’s Institute of Urologic Oncology and department of urology have classified kidney cancer into several unique subtypes, a finding that could help physicians tailor treatment to individual patients.

A recently published population-based study reinforces prior evidence from retrospective studies of the increased survival benefit of partial nephrectomy over radical nephrectomy, and suggests a cancer-specific survival benefit for nephron-sparing approaches as well.

A personalized immunotherapy (AGS-003) nearly doubled expected progression-free survival and overall survival when added to standard sunitinib (Sutent) in patients with unfavorable-risk metastatic renal cell carcinoma, according to results from a single-arm phase II study.

Use of tivozanib, an experimental tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with increased specificity and potency for the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor, as initial targeted therapy for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma did not translate into improved overall survival compared with sorafenib (Nexavar) in a phase III clinical trial.

To optimize outcomes for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, multimodal therapy is often required.

A large retrospective study of older patients diagnosed with small kidney tumors showed that patients who undergo surgery to remove these tumors have the same risk of dying of kidney cancer over a 5-year period as those who undergo surveillance.