Dr. Jonasch on First- and Second-line Options for Patients With RCC

Eric Jonasch, MD, professor, Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the advancements in the first- and second-line settings for treating patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Jonasch shared this insight during the 2017 OncLive^® State of the Science Summit on Genitourinary Cancers.

There have been a handful of FDA approvals in this field over the last couple of years, Jonasch explains, which have had made decisions for physicians on which agents to use and in what sequence a bit more interesting.

For example, recent data on the frontline use of cabozantinib (Cabometyx) has shown that the agent could have eventual promise in this setting, even if it is not yet ready for primetime, he adds. In the second-line setting, there is a "richness of choice" with the available agents, including cabozantinib, nivolumab (Opdivo), and lenvatinib (Lenvima) plus everolimus (Afinitor), which all have their own mechanistic properties and side effect profiles. Each therapy may also be more valuable for one patient than another depending on their individual comorbidities.

This is proving to be an exciting era for patients with RCC, Jonasch says.