According to an article recently published in Clinical Trials Arena, the Swedish pharmaceutical company Oncorena has recently initiated a Phase I/II trial for orellanine. This investigational treatment is intended for patients with advanced kidney cancer who are also undergoing dialysis.
About the Study
Based on the positive results of preclinical trials that confirmed orellanine’s anti-tumor activity, Oncorena is beginning the next phase of the process. This Phase I/II trial will enroll 40 patients, all of whom will participate at the Centre for Clinical Cancer Studies at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm.
The goals of this trial are to assess the signs of anti-tumor activity, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of orellanine. In order to evaluate said goals, researchers will be dosing participants in two parts: one dose-escalation portion and one dose-expansion portion. At the same time, patients will be receiving hemodialysis as well.
Hopefully, this trial goes well, as this patient population needs more treatment options in order to improve outcomes.
About Kidney Cancer
As the name suggests, kidney cancer is a cancer that begins in the kidneys, two bean-shaped organs that sit on either side of the spine which are intended to remove fluid and waste from the body. There are many forms of kidney cancer, and symptoms may vary across types; however, common symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, pain in the back or side, and blood in the urine. In most cases, these effects do not appear in the earlier stages of cancer. It is not until it has advanced that affected individuals typically feel its effects.
In terms of causes, medical professionals do not know what leads to these cancers in the majority of cases. They do know that there are a number of risk factors that raise one’s chances of developing kidney cancer, such as older age, hypertension, obesity, smoking, family history of kidney cancer, certain inherited syndromes (tuberous sclerosis complex and Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome are examples), and treatment for kidney failure.
Read more about kidney cancer with the Mayo Clinic.
