Lenvatinib in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

There are different approaches for overcoming resistance in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), states Bernard Escudier, MD. One approach is to target some of the cytokines; another is to target fibroblast growth factor (FGF). Lenvatinib, which inhibits FGF and VEGF, has been tested to try to overcome resistance in mRCC.

In a three-arm phase II study, lenvatinib in combination with everolimus improved progression-free survival by more than 7 months when compared with lenvatinib alone. Lenvatinib has a broad range of targets, says Susanne Osanto, MD. Phase III data are needed to confirm the efficacy in combination with everolimus. However, there tends to be a need to dose-reduce and/or interrupt treatment due to the toxicities with lenvatinib, notes Escudier.