Study: Combining Two Drugs Doubles Survival Chances for Kidney Cancer Patients

Data from a mid-stage clinical trial revealed that combining two targeted therapy drugs could significantly improve survival rates for some patients recently diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer.

The trial involved 51 patients, all of whom had clear cell renal cell carcinoma that had already spread throughout the body at the time of initial diagnosis.

The effect of “Votrient” on this factor diminishes over time, whereas “Avastin” effectively removes the factor from the bloodstream.

Researchers reported in the scientific journal *The Lancet Oncology* that the median overall survival was 63.2 months, including 24.8 months of progression-free survival.

By comparison, initial treatment with “Votrient” alone for this group of kidney cancer patients yields an overall survival rate ranging from 28.4 to 29.3 months, while the median progression-free survival does not exceed 9.2 months.

A highly significant benefit was observed among 33 participants classified as having favorable-risk disease based on their baseline health status.

Researchers found that the median progression-free survival in this subgroup reached 28.5 months, while the median overall survival reached 76.9 months.

Dr. Sabe George, leader of the study team from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, stated in a press release that the benefit provided by this new treatment regimen for favorable-risk patients “was comparable to or better than that offered by contemporary immunotherapy combinations.”

Notably, the trial began before immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as Merck’s “Keytruda” and Bristol Myers Squibb’s “Opdivo,” became the preferred treatment for these patients. However, these inhibitors cannot be used by patients with autoimmune diseases, and their cost may be prohibitive, particularly in resource-limited settings.