Dr. Lee on Sequencing Therapies for Patients With RCC

Chung-Han (Joe) Lee, MD, medical oncologist Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses sequencing therapies for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Sequencing for first-line therapy has been established over the last 2 or 3 years, Lee explains. In the frontline setting, most patients typically receive treatment with sunitinib (Sutent) or pazopanib (Votrient). However, in the next couple of years, frontline therapy will likely evolve as more drugs have been approved over the last few years. Multple ongoing phase III studies are exploring a variety of frontline agents, alone and in combination, he adds.

Efficacy is the number one considering factor in deciding first-line treatment for patients with RCC. Currently, Lee says, there is interest in exploring whether using immunotherapies in combination upfront may actually improve upon the survival outcomes seen with the current first-line agents.