Sorafenib tosylate for advanced kidney cancer: lucky loser and magic box at the same time

Despite being the very first molecular targeted agents registered for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer (in the post-cytokines setting), Sorafenib seemed to lose its momentum as a credible first-line treatment option, when it proved not to be superior to Interferon within a randomized phase II trial..

Ranpirnase and its potential for the treatment of unresectable malignant mesothelioma

Ribonucleases are a superfamily of enzymes which operate at the crossroads of transcription and translation, catalyzing the degradation of RNA; they can be cytotoxic because the cleavage of RNA renders indecipherable its information. Ranpirnase is a novel ribonuclease which preferentially degrades tRNA, thus leading to inhibition of protein synthesis and, ultimately, to cytostasis and cytotoxicity. Ranpirnase has demonstrated antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo in several tumor models. The maximum tolerated dose emerging from phase I studies was 960 g/m2, with renal toxicity as the main dose-limiting toxicity. A large phase II trial showed that ranpirnase has disease-modifying activity against malignant mesothelioma. Ranpirnase proved to be superior to doxorubicin in a phase III trial, while preliminary results of another large, phase III trial, suggest that the combination of ranpirnase and doxorubicin could be more effective than doxorubicin alone. In all the above studies, ranpirnase seems to act mainly as a cytostatic rather than a cytotoxic drug, stabilizing progressive disease and potentially prolonging patients’ survival. Ranpirnase may thus find its niche in combination with doxorubicin for mesothelioma as a second-line therapy, where no standard of care presently exists

Patterns of care among patients receiving sequential targeted therapies for advanced renal cell carcinoma: A retrospective chart review in the USA

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Evidence and experience for the management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Aims and scope The last 7 years have seen the treatment landscape for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) dramatically change as the understanding of the molecular background of the disease has grown. With the increase in treatment options, however, comes the question of how best to maximise patient benefits based on the available medicines. This topic was the key focus of a Pfizer meeting held at the 8th European International Kidney Cancer Symposium (EIKCS) in Budapest, Hungary (3–4 May 2013), where leading oncology experts reviewed the latest clinical trial evidence and discussed the importance of real world experience in treating patients with mRCC. This report offers an overview of the discussion on how best to integrate clinical trial data, guideline recommendations and real world experience in order to make treatment decisions that will provide the maximum benefit for each individual patient

Renal cell carcinoma and viral infections: A dangerous relationship?

: Virus-related cancers in humans are widely recognized, but in the case of renal cancer, the link with the world of viruses is not clearly established in humans, despite being known in animal biology. In the present review, we aimed to explore the literature on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) for a possible role of viruses in human RCC tumorigenesis and immune homeostasis, hypothesizing the contribution of viruses to the immunogenicity of this tumor. A scientific literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases with the keywords "virus" or "viruses" or "viral infection" matched with ("AND") "renal cell carcinoma" or "kidney cancer" or "renal cancer" or "renal carcinoma" or "renal tumor" or "RCC". The retrieved findings evidenced two main aspects testifying to the relationship between RCC and viruses: The presence of viruses within the tumor, especially in non-clear cell RCC cases, and RCC occurrence in cases with pre-existing chronic viral infections. Some retrieved translational and clinical data suggest the possible contribution of viruses, particularly Epstein-Barr virus, to the marked immunogenicity of sarcomatoid RCC. In addition, it was revealed the possible role of endogenous retrovirus reactivation in RCC oncogenesis, introducing new fascinating hypotheses about this tumor's immunogenicity and likeliness of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors

Donafenib in Chinese patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): Really a new standard of care, or should we change paradigm for drug development in HCC?

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Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic on Kidney Cancer Management

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still has a huge impact on the management of many chronic diseases such as cancer. Few data are presently available reagarding how the management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has changed due to this unprecedented situation. OBJECTIVE: To discuss the challenges and issues of the diagnosis and treatment of RCC in the COVID-19 era, and to provide recommendations based on the collected literature and our personal experience. METHODS: Systematic review of the available Literature regarding the management of RCC during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. RESULTS: Our review showed a prevalence of narrative publications, raising the issue of the real relevance of the evidence retrieved. Indeed, the only original data about RCC and COVID-19 found were a small retrospective case series and two surveys, providing either patients' or physicians' viewpoints. CONCLUSIONS: The expected delayed diagnosis of RCC could lead to an increase of advanced/metastatic cases; thus, proper therapeutic choices for patients with small renal masses should be carefully evaluated case by case, in order to avoid negative effects on long-term survival rates. The controversial interaction between immune checkpoint blockade and COVID-19 pathogenesis is more hypothetical than evidence-based, and thus immunotherapy should not be denied, whenever appropriate. To avoid treatments which won't have an impact on patients' survival, a honest and accurate evaluation of the cost/benefit ratio of each treatment option should be always performed. Finally, SARS-CoV-2 swab positivity should not prevent the continuation of ongoing active treatments in asymptomatic cases, or or after symptoms' resolution

mRCC management: past, present and future

Aims and scope Over the last six years, the use of targeted agents has revolutionised the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) and dramatically improved outcomes for patients. Multiple effective first-and second-line agents are now available or are in development, raising key questions and new challenges around the long-term management of mRCC. These topics were the focus of a Pfizer meeting held at the 7 th European International Kidney Cancer Symposium (EIKCS) in Vienna (4–5 May 2012), where leading European oncology experts discussed recent advances and ongoing issues in mRCC clinical practice. 'It is important for clinicians who see large numbers of patients with this rare disease to get together and share their experience and observations, for the benefit of those who only see few patients in their practice', said Professor Manuela Schmidinger, Chair of the meeting. This report offers an overview of the critical evidence and the issues of long-term mRCC management debated at the meeting. It also presents key conclusions from the recently launched report 'Europe 2012: is kidney cancer management at a crossroad?', written by a selected panel of European kidney cancer experts to highlight current barriers to the optimal treatment of mRCC patients and the development of solutions to address these

Immunological Effects of Multikinase Inhibitors for Kidney Cancer: A Clue for Integration with Cellular Therapies?

The multikinase inhibitors Sunitinib and Sorafenib not only inhibit angiogenesis and tumor growth, but also have the potential of interacting with the function of the immune system

Relationship in a Medium-risk Population

By means of an accurate immunoenzymatic assay, the prevalence was studied of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in three different populations: 74 patients affected with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on preexisting cirrhosis, 82 patients with liver cirrhosis but with no apparent neoplasm, and 70 control subjects, hospitalized for various conditions, of internal medicine or geriatric interest. 70.2% of HCC patients exhibited anti-HBC antibodies, versus 47.5% of cirrhotic subjects with no tumor and 7.1% of controls. Such results suggest the possible role of HCV in the etiopathogenesis of HCC, and its possible synergy with other agents-e.g., hepatitis B virus, alcohol--in causing chronically injured hepatocytes to become neoplastic