In this retrospective study published in Cancer Reports the association between TKI-induced high blood pressure (hypertension) and treatment outcomes was reported.

Fifty-two (52) patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treated with first-line sunitinib, pazopanib, sorafenib, axitinib, or cabozantinib were examined for any association between TKI-induced hypertension and treatment outcomes.

The study found that patients who developed TKI-induced hypertension had better outcomes in terms of progression-free survival (median PFS, 30.5 weeks vs 22.5 weeks) and overall survival (12-month OS rate, 76% vs 44%) compared with patients who didn’t develop hypertension.

This study adds to the growing literature that TKI-induced hypertension has a link with outcomes for patients with metastatic RCC. Other studies have shown that TKI-induced hypertension develops early, usually within the first few weeks of starting TKI treatment. The findings in this study also support that TKI-induced hypertension may be a marker for efficacy in metastatic RCC. However, this was a single-centre study with a small number of patients, and the long-term effects of TKI-induced hypertension are poorly understood.

Read more in Cancer Reports here