Second-Line Therapy in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: New Insights on Intercellular Signaling

Strategic Insights -

Researchers in Calgary, Canada conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy of second-line therapy in patients who had progressed on initial anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. The study identified 645 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who received first-line VEGF-targeted therapy, of which 216 patients received second-line therapy using VEGF-targeted drugs or mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-inhibiting agents. The researchers found that patients who received a second-line anti-VEGF drug had a similar overall survival to those who received a second-line anti-mTOR drug.

Key Takeaways:

  • Between 2005 and 2007, 645 patients with mRCC received first-line VEGF-targeted therapy, and 216 of them received second-line therapy using VEGF-targeted drugs or mTOR-inhibiting agents.
  • A higher baseline Karnofsky performance status score before first-line therapy predicted which patients were more likely to receive second-line therapy (p < 0.001).
  • The researchers compared the overall survival of patients who received second-line anti-VEGF drugs to those who received second-line anti-mTOR drugs.
  • Second-line therapy using anti-VEGF drugs (sunitinib, sorafenib, bevacizumab, and axitinib) and anti-mTOR drugs (temsirolimus and everolimus) was effective in mRCC patients.
  • The most common second-line therapies used were sunitinib (n=93), sorafenib (n=80), and bevacizumab (n=11).
  • The study's findings provide new insights on the effectiveness of second-line therapy in mRCC patients who had progressed on initial VEGF-targeted therapy.

Statistics:

  • Total number of patients: 645
  • Number of patients who received first-line VEGF-targeted therapy: 645
  • Number of patients who received second-line therapy: 216
  • Number of patients who received second-line VEGF-targeted therapy: 216
  • Number of patients who received second-line anti-VEGF drugs: 118
  • Number of patients who received second-line anti-mTOR drugs: 98
  • Overall survival comparison of patients who received second-line anti-VEGF drugs and anti-mTOR drugs (no specific data provided)

Sources:

  • Vickers, M. M., et al. (2010). Clinical outcome in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients after failure of initial vascular endothelial growth factor-targeted therapy. Urology, 76(2), 430-434.