Subcutaneous Nivolumab as Effective as IV for Renal Cell Carcinoma — With Much Faster Treatment Time

Subcutaneous injection of the immunotherapy nivolumab (brand name Opdivo) is noninferior to intravenous delivery and dramatically reduces treatment time in patients with renal cell carcinoma, as seen in the results of a large phase 3 clinical trial reported today at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, California.

New understanding of why kidney cancers become metastatic discovered by MD Anderson researchers

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer have engineered a new model of aggressive renal cell carcinoma (RCC), highlighting molecular targets and genomic events that trigger chromosomal instability and drive metastatic progression.
The study, published today in Nature Cancer, demonstrates that the loss of a cluster of interferon receptor (IFNR) genes plays a pivotal role in allowing cancer cells to become tolerant of chromosomal instability. This genomic feature may be used to help clinicians predict a tumor’s potential to become metastatic and treatment resistant.

Next-Generation Immunotherapy Drug Shows Continued Promise in Several Advanced-Stage Cancers

Initial study results show that an experimental drug, called nemvaleukin alfa, when used alone or in combination with another anticancer drug (pembrolizumab) may be effective in treating several types of late-stage cancers in some patients.

Analysis reveals how kidney cancer develops and responds to treatment

By sequencing the RNA of individual cells within multiple benign and cancerous kidney tumors, researchers from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center have identified the cells from which different subtypes originate, the pathways involved and how the tumor microenvironment impacts cancer development and response to treatment.

Biomarker Could Help Identify Difficult-to-Diagnose Kidney Cancer Subtype

High expression levels of the gene TRIM63 can serve as an accurate and sensitive biomarker of a subtype of kidney cancer known as microphthalmia-associated transcription factor family aberration-associated renal cell carcinomas — or MiTF renal cell carcinoma.

It’s important to distinguish MiTF from other subtypes of kidney cancers — clear cell, papillary and chromophobe — because these tumors may not respond well to standard, front-line treatments and may respond better to other approaches.

Exploring Impact of Surgery Delays for Clinical Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, several elective surgeries for renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer, were delayed with unknown impact on outcomes for patients. Researchers at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey explored the impact of surgery delays for these patients throughout the United States by utilizing the National Cancer Database to explore outcomes of patients who underwent surgery up to and after three months post diagnosis.

Deep Look at Immune Cells in Patients’ Tumors Reveals Insights on Timing for Treatment Combinations

It’s clear that radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, an approach used to treat cancer since the early 20th century, can be an effective companion to newer, immune-stimulating approaches known as immunotherapy. Research from a team from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center explains how radiation helps boost the immune system’s ability to fight cancer in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors — and provides new evidence that the timing of these therapies can make a big difference in how effectively they work together.

Novel targeted drug induced positive response for patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease–associated kidney cancer

In an international trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, treatment with MK-6482, the small molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2a was well tolerated and resulted in clinical responses for patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL)–associated renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Diagnostic Biomarkers Uncovered for Rare Kidney Cancer

Using next-generation RNA sequencing techniques, a team of scientists from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center has uncovered the gene signature of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) and have extensively tested the expression of three new biomarkers. The subtype is the third most common type of renal cell carcinoma, comprising about 5% of cases.