Targeted Therapies: A Paradigm Shift in RCC
Listen to internationally regarded oncologist and clinical investigator, Robert J. Motzer, MD, attending physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discuss the past, present, and future trends in renal cell carcinoma.
Robert J. Motzer, MD
Listen to internationally regarded oncologist and clinical investigator, Robert J. Motzer, MD, attending physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discuss the past, present, and future trends in renal cell carcinoma.
Dr. Motzer has led more than 50 clinical trials in patients with kidney cancer and testicular cancer, including national and international multicenter clinical studies. His research has helped identify three targeted antiangiogenesis drugs -- sunitinib (Sutent), temsirolimus (Torisel), and everolimus (Afinitor), as effective first- or second-line treatments for patients with advanced kidney cancer.
Dr. Motzer has been involved in research using anti-angiogenesis agents in advanced RCC. We asked him if we now have a clearer vision of a therapeutic pathway in this challenging setting. “There has been remarkable progress in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. This malignancy was considered to be the model for chemo-resistant cancer. Virtually every chemotherapeutic that was tried in this cancer failed to show activity. It became clear that there was a large unmet need in the treatment of RCC, which in a large way presaged the use targeted therapies in this setting,” said Dr. Motzer.
Dr. Motzer explained that over the past 2 decades the primary treatment in advanced renal cell carcinoma has been cytokines, without a good deal of success. However, the treatment paradigm changed with a 2007 trial he led looking at Sunitinib vs Interferon Alpha in Metastatic RCC. “Sunitinib showed improvements in progression-free survival, response, and overall survival. The sunitinib arm also had better quality-of-life measures,” said Dr. Motzer.
Coming up: Dr. Motzer gives his expert perspective on ASCO sessions and abstracts focusing on renal cell carcinoma…also watch for coverage highlights in gastrointestinal cancers, both colorectal and non-colorectal cancers, and special guest Editor Samuel M. Silver, MD, PhD, highlighting sessions on hematological malignancies.
-Interviewed by Ron Piana
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