Welcome

Dear Colleague:

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the third leading cause of death among genitourinary malignances in the United States, and its incidence rate is on the rise.^1,2 However, the mortality rate has begun to decrease, a trend that may be explained by early detection and the emergence of new therapies that hold promise for improved patient outcomes.^2,3

Until recently, treatment of RCC involved a nonspecific immune approach using cytokines, which were associated with severe adverse events and toxicities.⁴ Advances in molecular biology have led to a paradigm shift, with the focus on vascular endothelial growth factor as a target.⁴ The US Food and Drug Administration has now approved 3 new agents for treatment of RCC—sorafenib, sunitinib, and temsirolimus—that have demonstrated improved outcomes for patients with advanced disease.

This newsletter is designed to familiarize clinicians with recent advances in the management of RCC—including new agents and their mechanisms of action, new recommendations and guidelines regarding staging and prognostic classification, emerging therapies and ongoing clinical trials, and future directions in research. We will discuss current treatment protocols and look at emerging research presented at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists. Clinical advances that are already resulting in improved outcomes may offer clinicians multiple therapeutic options for their patients with RCC.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Motzer, MD, Editor
Department of Medicine
Genitourinary Oncology Service
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York