A combination of two drugs -- one of them
an immunotherapy agent -- could become a new standard, first-line treatment for
patients with metastatic kidney cancer, says an investigator from Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute, reporting results from a phase 3 clinical trial.
Patients who received the immunotherapy
drug avelumab plus axitinib, a targeted agent, had a significant advantage in
progression-free survival compared with those who received sunitinib (Sutent),
a targeted drug that has been a standard treatment for advanced clear cell
renal cell carcinoma -- the most common form of kidney cancer.
While progression-free survival was
improved with the combination treatment, additional follow-up is needed to show
whether the two-drug therapy extends overall survival compared to the standard
regimen.
The trial is the first pivotal study to
combine avelumab with a drug that targets the vascular endothelial growth
factor receptor (VEGFR). VEGFR blockers like sunitinib and axitinib are
designed to starve tumors by disrupting their blood supply. Immunotherapy drugs
such as avelumab -- which blocks an immune checkpoint called PD-L1 -- work by
activating "exhausted" immune T cells so they can more effectively
attack cancer cells.
The clinical trial involved 886 patients
with previously untreated, advanced renal cell carcinoma that were randomized
to receive the drug combination or sunitinib alone. See more
Source: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute