Sunitinib versus sorafenib for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma with renal impairment before the immune-oncology therapy era

Efficacy and safety of axitinib for metastatic renal cell carcinoma: Real-world data on patients with renal impairment

OBJECTIVES

Limited information is currently available on the efficacy and safety of axitinib for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients with renal impairment. Therefore, the present study investigated the efficacy and toxicity of axitinib in patients with chronic kidney disease.

METHODS

Post-hoc analyses were performed on a Japanese multicenter cohort study of 477 mRCC patients who received axitinib followed by 1 or 2 regimens of systemic antiangiogenic therapy between January 2012 and December 2016. Differences in clinical characteristics and the efficacy and safety of axitinib were assessed based on pretreatment renal function.

RESULTS

Patients were categorized into the following 5 renal function groups according to baseline renal function: estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥60 ml/min (n = 133), 45 ml/min ≤eGFR <60 ml/min (n = 153), 30 ml/min ≤eGFR< 45 ml/min (n = 130), eGFR <30 ml/min (n = 45), and dialysis (n = 16). Median progression-free survival (PFS) (95% confidence interval [CI]) in the 5 groups was 11 (8-16), 14 (11-19), 14 (10-19), 12 (8-24), and 6 (3-NR) months, respectively (p = 0.781). After adjustments for treatment-related confounders, the renal function group was not a significant prognostic factor for PFS. Objective response rates in the 5 groups were 22%, 23%, 23%, 18%, 20%, and 38%, respectively (p = 0.468). Regarding adverse events of all grades, hypertension (p = 0.0006) and renal and urinary disorders (p < 0.0001) were more frequently observed in the eGFR <30 ml/min group than in the other groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Since renal function at the initiation of treatment with axitinib does not adversely affect the efficacy of VEGF-TKI therapy, clinicians do not need to avoid its administration to mRCC patients with impaired renal function in consideration of the risk of progression to end-stage renal disease.

Sorafenib exhibits lower toxicity and comparable efficacy to sunitinib as a first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

To assess the safety and efficacy of sorafenib and sunitinib as first-line treatments for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), to provide evidence-based support for clinical decision-making regarding rational drug use.

METHODS

Until May 10, 2023, a comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases to identify clinical studies comparing sorafenib with sunitinib as first-line treatment for mRCC. The literature was screened, data extracted, and quality evaluated independently by 2 researchers. Meta-analysis was conducted using Revman5.4 software.

RESULTS

A total of 3741 patients were enrolled in 20 studies. The meta-analysis results indicated that there were no significant differences in the 2- and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates between the sorafenib and sunitinib groups (P > .05). The disease control rate (DCR) was comparable between the 2 groups (P > .05), while the objective response rate (ORR) was higher in the sunitinib group (P = .03). However, subgroup analysis revealed no significant differences in ORR, DCR, 2- and 5-year PFS, and OS rates between sorafenib and sunitinib among both Asian populations as well as European and American populations (P > .05). In terms of drug-related adverse events, the incidence of grade ≥ 3 hypertension, leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, nausea and vomiting were significantly lower in the sorafenib group compared to the sunitinib group (P < .05).

CONCLUSION

In the first-line treatment of mRCC, sorafenib exhibits comparable efficacy to sunitinib but with lower toxicity.