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A Syngeneic Mouse Model of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma for Quantitative and Longitudinal Assessment of Preclinical Therapies
Published on: April 12, 2017
Very late recurrence of renal cell carcinoma experiencing long-term response to sunitinib: a case report
Abstract:
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is responsible for 4% of all neoplasms in adults and for 80% of all primary renal tumors. Metastatic RCC is resistant to all cytotoxic agents and generally prognosis is poor. However, the clinical behavior of RCC is unpredictable, and late recurrences of disease can occur even after several years from the initial surgical approach, so response to the currently available targeted agents is uncertain, due to the lack of reliable prognostic and predictive factors. We report the case of a patient who developed a metastatic recurrence of RCC 16 years after primary treatment, in spite of metastatic disease at diagnosis. At the time of relapse, the disease showed a surprisingly long-term response to Sunitinib, which is maintained after 74 months of treatment. This case report highlights the unpredictable behavior of RCC and underlines the presence of a subset of patients with metastatic RCC achieving long-term response to Sunitinib, despite poor clinical features. In this subset of patients, an important clinical question arises about the appropriate duration of treatment and the need to continue it indefinitely.
Insights
Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) typically has a poor prognosis. However, one patient experienced a remarkable 16-year remission and long-term response to Sunitinib for advanced kidney cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Nephrology
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 4% of adult neoplasms and 80% of primary kidney tumors.
- Metastatic RCC is generally resistant to chemotherapy, with a poor prognosis.
- Predicting RCC behavior and treatment response is challenging due to a lack of reliable prognostic factors.
Observation:
- A patient with metastatic RCC at diagnosis experienced disease recurrence 16 years after initial treatment.
- The recurrent metastatic kidney cancer demonstrated a sustained, long-term response to Sunitinib therapy.
- This response to Sunitinib has been maintained for over 74 months.
Findings:
- This case highlights the unpredictable clinical course of renal cell carcinoma.
- A subset of patients with metastatic RCC may achieve durable responses to Sunitinib, even with initially poor prognostic indicators.
- The patient's extended survival and response suggest potential for long-term benefit from targeted therapy in select cases.
Implications:
- The findings suggest that Sunitinib may be effective for a subset of metastatic RCC patients with late recurrences.
- This case raises important clinical questions regarding the optimal duration of Sunitinib treatment in patients achieving long-term responses.
- Further research is needed to identify predictive biomarkers for identifying patients likely to benefit from prolonged Sunitinib therapy.
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