Treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma

The median survival of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) increased from 10 to more than 40 months since the advent of targeted therapy. The transformation of mRCC from an initially lethal disease to a more favorable entity, albeit incurable, occurred with the transition from best supportive care, to cytokines, to finally sequential targeted therapies. Sunitinib and bevacizumab (level 1b) represent the first-line standard of care for patients with clear-cell mRCC vs temsirolimus (level 2) for those with high-risk features. Additionally, exploratory analyses of the temsirolimus data indicate important benefits for those with nonclear-cell mRCC histological subtypes. In second-line, everolimus proved its efficacy (level 1b). Nonetheless, sunitinib and sorafenib are also effective for nonclear-cell histological subtypes and after failure of other first-line treatment. The PFS benefits of first- and subsequent treatment-lines were confirmed in virtually all subgroup analyses. Potential survival benefits can be derived from cytoreductive nephrectomy (CNT), as was shown for cytokines in the general population, in sunitinib and bevacizumab-exposed patients. Phase III studies are ongoing to address the importance of CNT. This information is crucial to ensure timely delivery of a combination of medical and surgical therapies in this patient population. (C) 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.