Dr. Agarwal Discusses Recent FDA Approvals in RCC

Neeraj Agarwal, MD, associate professor, Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, discusses recent FDA approvals in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Until recently, the only approved frontline agents for the treatment of patients with RCC were sunitinib (Sutent) and pazopanib (Votrient), and in some cases, an mTOR inhibitor. Within the last 6 months, there were multiple agents approved, shifting the landscape.

In December 2017, the FDA approved cabozantinib (Cabometyx) for previously untreated patients with advanced RCC. The approval was based on phase II results from the CABOSUN trial, which showed that first-line treatment with cabozantinib reduced the risk of progression or death by 52% compared with sunitinib.

The combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) was approved in April 2018 in the frontline setting for intermediate- and poor-risk patients with advanced RCC. This approval was based off the CheckMate-214 trial, in which this combination reduced the risk of death by 32% compared with sunitinib for patients with metastatic disease.

Agarwal predicts that the combination of bevacizumab (Avastin) and atezolizumab (Tecentriq) will soon be approved in RCC.