Two New Kidney Cancer Drugs: Immunotherapy Nivolumab (Opdivo) and Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Cabozantinib Showed Great Success

Kidney cancer causes no complaints, particularly early on. Consequently, it is usually advanced when diagnosed. Average survival offered by current treatments for advanced (metastatic) kidney cancer is below our expectations. One of the most attention-grabbing studies presented at the 2015 European Cancer Congress held in Vienna last weekend both changed our clinical practice as oncologists and created great hope for our patients with advanced kidney cancer.

The research presented at the congress concerned immunotherapy in advanced (metastatic) kidney cancer. Nivolumab (Opdivo), a drug called an immune checkpoint inhibitor, substantially prolonged survival in patients with advanced kidney cancer.

Nivolumab removes an immune suppression mechanism, thereby activating immunity against cancer cells. Its benefit had been demonstrated in malignant melanoma, a skin cancer known for its aggressive course, and non-small cell lung cancer, with FDA approval for these diseases granted last year.

Although it is difficult to say this study presented at the European Cancer Congress means nivolumab will immediately enter clinical use for advanced kidney cancer, we hope it will accelerate approval and become standard treatment for this disease.

Another study attracting great interest at the congress concerned cabozantinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for advanced (metastatic) kidney cancer. This drug also doubled progression-free survival (time without disease progression) compared with standard treatment (3.8 months versus 7.4 months).

We are very happy to share these promising developments improving survival and long-term outcomes in a cancer as challenging to treat as metastatic kidney cancer.

For detailed information about cancer treatment with immunotherapy, click here.