In April we attended the European International Kidney Cancer Symposium (EIKCS). Many of the discussions focused on future therapeutic approaches and the use of immunotherapies to treat kidney cancer. Immunotherapies are drugs that harness the body’s immune system and help it to destroy cancer cells. Here we share with you some of the highlights of the symposium.
Keynote
The Keynote address was given Dr David McDermott, Chief, Division of Medical Oncology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr McDermott discussed the importance of identifying novel biomarkers and using combination therapy to treat kidney cancer. He also emphasized the importance of not only aiming to treat cancer but to strive for patients to live treatment-free lives.
Clinical Trials
Dr Hans Hammers, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, discussed some of the novel therapeutics being trialed in kidney cancer patients. A phase 3 clinical trial with 1069 patients found that the combination of Lenvatinib and pembrolizumab, immunotherapy drugs, was associated with longer progression-free survival than sunitinib, which is a protein kinase inhibitor currently used in kidney cancer (1). He also referenced a phase 2 clinical trial testing belzutifan (an inhibitor of HIF-2α) on patients with Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL). Similar to Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome, VHL patients develop multiple tumors in their kidneys. Preliminary results show that belzutifan is both well tolerated by patients and reduces tumor size (2). To find out more about clinical trials including current research into BHD visit our Clinical Trials webpage.
Biomarkers
A biomarker is a molecule that is naturally present in or on specific cells and can therefore be targeted for treatment of a disease. Medical oncologist Dr Yann-Alexandre Vano from Georges Pompidou European Hospital discussed his research looking for specific biomarkers (gene signatures) in tumors and targeting them with specific therapies. The BIONIKK trial was the first to investigate tailoring treatment options in metastatic kidney cancer to patient’s tumor characteristics and showed an improved patient response (3). Dr Yann-Alexandre Vano discussed the importance of collaboration between different centers and countries to help facilitate the discovery of novel biomarkers and improve patient outcomes.
The Microbiome
The microbiome is the collection of microorganisms that live on and in the human body and are essential for the body to function normally. Everyone’s microbiome is unique and dynamic, changing in response to environmental and genetic factors. It is suspected that the microbiome may affect responses to cancer therapy. Dr Lisa DeRosa researcher at the Gustave Roussy Hospital investigated how a patient’s microbiome may affect their response to checkpoint inhibitors, a type of immunotherapy. She compared the response to therapy in patients who had required antibiotics, which are known to disrupt the microbiome, with those who had not. Patients who had been treated with antibiotics had a reduced response to checkpoint inhibitors (4). Therefore, she hypothesized that altering those patient’s microbiome may improve their response to immunotherapy. This idea is supported by a recent study where melanoma patients, who were given fecal transplants to change their microbiome, had an improved response to checkpoint inhibitors (5). Further research is required to identify the specific microorganisms responsible for these changes in response.
EIKCS demonstrated the extent of innovative research being conducted into kidney cancer. The Myrovlytis trust/ BHD Foundation will be keeping up to date with the latest research and funding studies looking at kidney cancer treatments with an initial focus on Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome.
Interested to find out more? You can now watch all the talks from the conference here.
References