Top Kidney Cancer Articles of 2022

Each year, advancements continue to be made for the treatment of kidney cancer, and 2022 was no different.

CURE® looked back at the most-read news items of the year. Here’s what we found.

1. FDA Approves Avastin Biosimilar to Treat Kidney Cancer. In September, the Food and Drug Administration approved Vegzelma (bevacizumab-adcd) — an Avastin biosimilar — for six different types of cancer including metastatic renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer. Biosimilars have similar efficacy to their reference product (Avastin) and offer more options to patients with the disease.
2. ‘Any Exercise Is Better Than No Exercise’ to Potentially Improve Mental Health in Patients With Kidney Cancer. A study of more than 500 patients and survivors of kidney cancer found that those who reported exercising within the last month were less likely to experience poor mental health than those who did, leading the researchers to stress the importance of exercise — such as walks — for this population.
3. On Kidney Cancer Advocacy: ‘There’s Only One Way to Go, and That’s Forward’. In this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, kidney cancer survivor Steven Edwards shares his story, from his disease potentially being linked to exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to the importance of getting a second opinion — and what it might mean if a doctor insists that you do not.
4. Expert Breaks Down Immunotherapy Options in Kidney Cancer. Immunotherapy drugs, such as Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab), are moving up to the frontline treatment for patients with metastatic kidney cancer. In this video, Dr. Jeff Yorio discusses how immunotherapy is currently being used in kidney cancer, and how these agents are working to “unmask” cancer cells from the immune system.
5. Drug Duo Sparks Encouraging Outcomes in Treatment of Clear Cell Kidney Cancer. Bavencio (avelumab) plus Inlyta (axitinib) is an effective presurgical treatment for patients with high-risk, non-metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma, according to study results that were presented earlier this year; most patients treated with the two-drug combination were still alive and had no signs of disease at 23.5 months.

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