NCCN updates kidney cancer guidelines to include newer agents

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has made updates to its kidney cancer guidelines to include the addition of two first-line treatment options.

Temsirolimus (Torisel) was added as an option in first-line therapy for patients with relapsed or medically unresectable stage IV renal cancer with both predominant clear cell histology and non-clear cell histology.

This recommendation is based on the recent FDA approval of temsirolimus for treatment of renal cell carcinoma and on the safety and effectiveness results of the targeted agent in a large, multicenter, randomized clinical trial of 626 patients.

In the study, temsirolimus, an inhibitor of mTOR, a regulator of cell proliferation, growth, and survival, prolonged median overall survival. Temsirolimus was also added as an option for subsequent therapy for patients with predominant clear cell histology.

The panel also added bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with interferon alfa-2a as first-line therapy for patients with relapsed or medically unresectable stage IV disease with predominant clear cell histology, based on the results of the AVOREN trial presented at the 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.