A recent phase II study of 18 patients with clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) stage cT2a showed that treatment with axitinib before surgery (neoadjuvant treatment) reduced the size of the tumour. Before treatment with axtinib, these patients were not considered suitable for partial nephrectomy. Neoadjuvant treatment with axitinib enabled 67% of patients to undergo partial nephrectomy for tumours smaller than 7 cm.

The researchers concluded that neoadjuvant axitinib treatment led to tumour shrinkage sufficient for a partial nephrectomy in 67% of cases.

Read more in Practice Update here