Recently the Kidney Cancer Association held its International Kidney Cancer Symposium, where medical professionals and other industry members come together to share ideas and push for innovative research and treatments for kidney cancer. One study that was shared at the event focused on tivozanib as a treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Researchers from City of Hope investigated the drug’s impact on disease control, ultimately finding that it outperformed sorafenib.

Tivozanib for RCC

Tivozanib is a VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor developed by AVEO Oncology. The FDA has already granted it approval for advanced relapsed or refractory RCC patients who have already received a minimum of two systemic therapies.

At the symposium, data were presented from a phase 3, randomized trial titled TIVO-3. 350 patients enrolled and were randomized 1:1 to receive either tivozanib or sorafenib. The first group was treated in three-week on, one-week off cycles with a daily, oral dose of 1.34 mg of tivozanib, while the latter group received 400 mg of sorafenib twice a day in four-week cycles.

Results include:

• Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.6 months for the tivozanib group and 3.9 months in the sorafenib group
• Overall response rate (ORR) was 18% in the tivozanib group and 8% in the sorafenib group
• Disease control at eight weeks was 82.3% in the tivozanib group and 69.1% in the sorafenib group
• Disease control at 16 weeks was 64.6% in the tivozanib group and 44.6% in the sorafenib group
• Disease control at 24 weeks was 46.9% in the tivozanib group and 27.4% in the sorafenib group
  • Note: Disease control is defined as the percentage of patients who achieved stable disease, partial response, or complete response

This study pointed to two conclusions. Firstly, tivozanib is a viable treatment option for RCC, and secondly, disease control is a valuable endpoint to investigate when studying possible treatments for advanced RCC.

About RCC

RCC is a form of kidney cancer that typically begins with a single tumor in one kidney but easily spreads to the lungs and throughout the body. Symptoms often do not appear until this spread has occurred, which can impact diagnosis and intervention. They include abdominal pain, fatigue, high blood pressure, bloody or discolored urine, weight loss, fever, enlarged testicles, varicose testis vein, and vision abnormalities.

While medical professionals are unsure as to what exactly causes RCC, they do know that there are a number of risk factors. These include smoking and a history of kidney problems. Research has also linked mutations in the TFE 3, PRC, and VHL genes to this cancer. Treatment consists of removing the kidney, bladder, and any necessary surrounding tissue. Other treatment options include:

• Proleukin
• Chemotherapy
• Sorafenib
• Hormone treatments
• Afinitor
• Ablation

Read more about this study here.