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A Study of Angiogenesis Markers in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma Undergoing Therapy with Sunitinib
Clive Stubbs1, Antonio D Bardoli2, Mehran Afshar3
1University of Birmingham, Birmingham, U.K.
Background:
Sunitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) targeting tumour angiogenesis in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Currently no universally agreed model exists correlating the expression of angiogenesis markers with the success of treatment.
Patients And Methods:
We retrospectively analysed archival tissue for 59 RCC patients treated with sunitinib. The expression of angiogenesis markers VEGF-A, VEGFR, PDGFββ, PDGFR, CCND1 and CA9 was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and correlated with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).
Results:
The median OS and median PFS of the whole group of patients was 24.6 months (17.3-34.2) and 19.5 months (11-27) respectively. VEGFA was positive in 29% of tumors, whereas VEGFR was expressed in only 12% of tumours. PDGFββ and its receptor were detected in a minority of cases. CCND1 and CA9 were positive in 44% and 60% of cases.
Conclusion:
The OS and PFS achieved by our patients reflected previous observations seen with sunitinib, but no correlation was found between expression of angiogenesis markers and clinical outcome.
Insights
This study found no correlation between angiogenesis markers and treatment success in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients receiving sunitinib. Further research is needed to predict patient outcomes for this targeted therapy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Medical Research
Background:
- Sunitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), targets tumor angiogenesis in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
- A validated model to correlate angiogenesis marker expression with sunitinib treatment efficacy is currently lacking.
- Understanding these correlations can optimize targeted therapy for RCC patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between angiogenesis marker expression and clinical outcomes in RCC patients treated with sunitinib.
- To assess the expression of specific markers including VEGF-A, VEGFR, PDGFββ, PDGFR, CCND1, and CA9.
- To determine if these markers can predict overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of archival tissue from 59 RCC patients treated with sunitinib.
- Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to assess the expression of angiogenesis markers.
- Correlation analysis between marker expression and clinical endpoints (OS and PFS).
Main Results:
- Median OS was 24.6 months and median PFS was 19.5 months for the patient cohort.
- VEGFA was expressed in 29% of tumors, VEGFR in 12%, PDGFββ and PDGFR in a minority, CCND1 in 44%, and CA9 in 60%.
- No statistically significant correlation was found between the expression of any assessed angiogenesis marker and patient survival outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Sunitinib treatment outcomes in this cohort align with previous findings.
- The expression levels of investigated angiogenesis markers (VEGF-A, VEGFR, PDGFββ, PDGFR, CCND1, CA9) do not correlate with OS or PFS in advanced RCC patients treated with sunitinib.
- Predictive biomarkers for sunitinib efficacy in RCC remain to be identified.
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