Dr. Pal on the Potential Use of PARP Inhibitors in RCC

Sumanta Kumar Pal, MD, an associate clinical professor, Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, co-director, Kidney Cancer Program, and medical oncologist at City of Hope, discusses the potential use of PARP inhibitors in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

PARP1 may be expressed at high levels in RCC, says Pal. Research from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, led by A. Ari Hakimi, MD, suggests that there is a role for DNA damage-repair mutations in this disease.

When PARP1 overexpression and DNA damage-repair mutations are paired together, it creates an optimal environment for PARP inhibitors to flourish, explains Pal.

In addition to PARP inhibitors, ATM kinase inhibitors and Rad3-related kinase inhibitors may be worth exploring as an additional way to target DNA repair, concludes Pal.