Washington, DC, ——– – The Kidney Cancer Research Alliance(KCCure) applauds the approval of yet another treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The latest approved therapy combines EMD Serono’s Avelumab (BAVENCIO) with Pfizer’s axitinib (INLYTA) as first-line treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
Axitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was approved in 2012 as monotherapy for the treatment of second-line renal cell carcinoma. Avelumab is a checkpoint inhibitor that blocks the PD-L1 pathway. This is the second approved treatment combining axitinib with a checkpoint inhibitor.
The JAVELIN Renal 101 trial investigated the combination of avelumab and axitinib in comparison to sunitinib (SUTENT) in previously untreated metastatic kidney cancer patients. Patients in the combination arm experienced a median progression free survival of 13.8 months compared with 8.4 months in the control arm. Median overall survival for the study has not yet been reached.
“This combination therapy is an important new treatment option for patients with advanced RCC,” said Eric Jonasch, M.D. Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, MDAnderson Cancer Center and KCCure Scientific Advisory Board Member, “Our thanks go out to the brave patients who participated and enrolled in clinical trials, making this treatment a reality for all.”
Renal Cell Carcinoma is the deadliest of all urological malignancies, with over 70,000 new cases diagnosed annually and over 14,000 deaths each year. Advances in treatment for metastatic RCC have increased dramatically over the last decade, but overall survival rates continue to be low.
“We’re thrilled to see so many exciting new advances in the field,” said Dena Battle, President of KCCure. “new treatments mean new hope for kidney cancer patients and their families.”
About KCCure: The Kidney Cancer Research Alliance (KCCure) is a grassroots organization of patients, caregivers, doctors and medical researchers dedicated to eliminating suffering and death due to kidney cancer through increased funding to accelerate research that will lead to a cure for all patients and prevent future kidney cancer diagnoses.
For more information about treatment options available for advanced kidney cancer, click here.
CONTACT:
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Dena Battle
202-494-5261
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