Results from the phase 2 Cantata trial revealed that adding the glutaminase inhibitor telaglenastat to cabozantinib (Cabometyx) did not improve progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
The median PFS was 9.2 months in patients receiving telaglenastat plus cabozantinib, compared with 9.3 months among patients treated with cabozantinib alone. Both trial arms reported similar adverse events.
Despite the strong scientific rationale supporting the use of a glutaminase inhibitor in RCC, the trial did not show a benefit for patients. While this trial was not successful, research looking at ways to target metabolic pathways in RCC remains promising for the future.
In response to the announcement, KCCure President Dena Battle released the following statement:
“It is always disappointing when a drug fails to show the results that we all hoped for. But it is important to remember that less than 4 percent of oncology drugs make it through the clinical trial process and go on to receive regulatory approval. Learning that a drug does not provide additional benefit still adds to the field and helps us know more about kidney cancer and how to treat it. We thank the developers, researchers and doctors who conducted this trial – but most importantly, we applaud the brave kidney cancer patients who enrolled and were willing to take on this risk to advance care 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.
For more information about treatment options available for advanced kidney cancer, click here.
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.
