Kidney cancer vaccine phase III trial to begin

A new phase III trial has begun to test a new vaccine that has been designed to offer better disease control to patients diagnosed with kidney cancer. The trial is being led by Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute and could give better long-term control through the use of medication.

Research advances for patients that are diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma - which is the most common form of kidney cancer - have led to increased chances of survival over the last ten years. This is because the research has led to advances in the medical field, creating better targeted drug therapies. This type of treatment is designed specifically for each patient so as to treat their disease based on their genetic makeup.

Investigators are now looking at vaccine-based therapies to work alongside targeted therapies in order improve patient's immune systems so as to better fight the cancer. This course of treatment could help to provide better outcomes for patients and help to improve their overall quality of life.

Dr Robert Figlin, deputy director of the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute and lead investigator on the study, said in an interview published in the journal 'Immunotherapy' that combining these complementary therapies could help revolutionise the treatment of renal cell carcinoma.

In order to test how well the vaccine-approach works alongside targeted treatment, patients are now being enrolled in the phase III trial. Patients will be treated with an investigational vaccine called AGS-003, which will aim to increase immune response while adding little or no toxicity.

"This clinical trial asks one of the most important questions facing the field of kidney cancer at this time: Is there synergy between immunotherapy and targeted agents?" said Dr Edwin Posadas, co-investigator of the clinical trial, medical director of the Urologic Oncology Program at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute. "This study could be the first of many to truly redefine the approach investigators take to treat kidney cancer in the clinic."