In a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, treatment with the combination of savolitinib plus durvalumab resulted in high response rates among patients with metastatic papillary kidney cancer with the MET gene.

For all patients with papillary kidney cancer treated with the savolitinib plus durvalumab combination, 29% of patients responded to treatment (i.e., their cancer had got smaller or was stable) after an average follow-up of about 2 years. In the patients who had the MET gene, 53% of patients responded to treatment.

Overall, 39% of patients had serious side effects. The most common serious side effects were infection, shortness of breath, and increase in heart rate. Sadly, there were 2 deaths due to infection and treatment-related stroke.

Serious side effects were less frequent in patients with the MET gene, occurring in 29% of these patients. The most common serious effects in this subgroup were infection and shortness of breath.

A total of 27% of all patients had savolitinib dose reductions.

The savolitinib plus durvalumab combination is being tested in a phase 3 clinical trial in papillary kidney cancer patients with the MET gene who are not able to have surgery to remove their tumour and who have locally advanced or metastatic disease.

Read more in Oncology Nursing News here