A recent study reported in the journal JAMA Oncology and conducted by Professor Thomas Powles and his team from Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, showed that the majority of patients with clear cell renal cell cancer (RCC) saw benefit from pazopanib therapy before undergoing cytoreductive nephrectomy.

There were 104 patients with previously untreated metastatic clear cell RCC in the study, who received 12-14 weeks of pazopanib before having surgery to remove their kidney cancer. Patients continued pazopanib therapy after surgery and were followed for a minimum of 30 months. The primary endpoint was clinical benefit before surgery at 12-14 weeks.

Clinical benefit was assessed in 100 patients, and 84% achieved clinical benefit from pazopanib. Overall, 71% of patients had stable disease, 13% had partial response to therapy, and 16% had progression of disease.

However, with a median reduction of 14% in the size of the primary tumour, the researchers wrote, “Upfront targeted therapy does not adequately reduce the size of the primary tumour to recommend pazopanib therapy prior to cytoreductive nephrectomy to facilitate surgery. However, the approach achieved rapid control of disease in the majority of patients and was associated with acceptable outcomes.”

Read more here