Personalized Targeted Inhibitors Treatment in Renal Cell Cancer

Targeting of Renal Cell Cancer With Specific Inhibitors: A Model for Selective Adaptive Medicine Based on Molecular Alterations

This is for subjects with metastatic Renal Cell Cancer (RCC). There are four Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs for first-line therapy of Renal Cell Cancer (RCC) and two for second-line therapy. Each of these drugs targets a specific molecular pathway. At present oncologists select therapy based on current guidelines. There is a new method for trying to use biomarker information from the subject's tumor to select the best drug to treat the subject. This process is investigational, which is why this study is being done.

Biomarkers are genes, proteins and other molecules that affect how cancer cells grow, multiply, die and respond to other compounds in the body. These biomarkers build a tumor profile or "fingerprint" of the subject's tumor. A new focus in cancer care is personalized treatment, where doctors select a drug based on the subject's tumor's unique "fingerprint" which is more likely to be effective in fighting the tumor. Selecting the treatment the subject is more likely to respond to requires a thorough understanding of the relationship between biomarker and treatment effect. The PI wants to gather data to understand that relationship to help treat future cancer patients. The purpose of this study is to evaluate efficacy of treatments that are selected based on tumor profiles.

This will be a prospective, one-arm, proof of concept study designed to evaluate the efficacy of algorithm-based allocation (based on genomic/proteomic profile) of first-line therapy in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

After eligibility review, patients will receive one of the four first-line therapy agents based on their tumor's molecular profile as determined using fresh biopsy tissue from an accessible metastatic site. Upon disease progression, patients will then receive one of two second-line agents based on their tumor's molecular profile.

Because this is a proof-of-concept study, the sample size is based on feasibility of accrual. The clinic should be able to recruit 100 patients within a reasonable timeframe for the study. The number of patients receiving each drug will vary based on the frequency of molecular alterations in the population. Therefore, groups will not be compared with one another - the research goal is to determine whether the progression-free survival (PFS) for each drug is improved over the PFS reported in FDA approval trials for each drug when they are assigned based on molecular analysis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Subjects may be included in the study only if they meet all of the following inclusion criteria:

  • Pathologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma.

  • No prior systemic and/or investigative therapy of any kind.

    • Patients with primary tumor in place are strongly encouraged to undergo nephrectomy prior to initiation of study agent.
    • Prior palliative radiotherapy to metastatic lesion(s) is permitted. Patient must have adequately recovered from the acute toxicities of this treatment.
    • All major surgery of any type and/or radiotherapy must be completed at least 4 weeks prior to registration.

  • Must have progressive metastatic disease

  • ECOG performance status ≤2

  • Women of childbearing potential and male patients must use acceptable methods of contraception-tubal ligation, vasectomy, barrier contraceptive with spermicide-while on study and for 3 months after the last dose of study therapy. Oral, implantable, or injectable contraceptives may be affected by cytochrome P450 interactions, and are therefore not considered effective for this study.

  • Age ≥18 years

  • Required Initial Laboratory Values:

    • Granulocytes ≥1,500/µL
    • Platelet Count ≥100,000/µL
    • Hemoglobin ≥9 g/dL
    • AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN)
    • Alk. Phos.≤ 2.5 x ULN
    • Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x ULN
    • Amylase/Lipase within normal range
    • Urinalysis≤ 1+ protein
    • T3T4 TSH - within normal range
    • Pregnancy test for women - Negative
    • Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 x ULN
    • Electrocardiogram (ECG) - no active ischemia
    • Echocardiogram ejection fraction ≥40%
    • Pulmonary function tests
    • Fasting serum cholesterol ≤300 mg/dL OR ≤7.75 mmol/L AND fasting triglycerides ≤2.5 x ULN. NOTE: In case one or both of these thresholds are exceeded, the patient can only be included after initiation of appropriate lipid lowering medication.

  • Signed informed consent prior to the performance of any study-specific procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

• Ongoing hemoptysis, or cerebrovascular accident within 12 months prior to study entry, or peripheral vascular disease with claudication occurring upon walking less than one city block, or history of clinically significant bleeding.
• Deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolus within 12 months prior to study entry and no ongoing need for full-dose oral or parenteral anticoagulation. For maintenance of catheter patency daily prophylactic aspirin or low-dose coumadin (1-2 mg) is allowed.
• Evidence of current central nervous system (CNS) metastases. All patients must undergo a CT scan of the brain (with contrast, if possible) within 42 days prior to registration. Any imaging abnormality indicative of active CNS metastases will exclude the patient from the study.
• Significant cardiovascular disease defined as congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association Class II, II or IV) angina pectoris requiring nitrate therapy, or recent myocardial infarction (within the preceding 6 months prior to study entry).
• Uncontrolled hypertension (defined as blood pressure of ≥160 mmHg systolic and/or ≥90 mmHg diastolic on medication). Document over 48 hours with minimum of 3 readings.
• Ongoing requirement for systemic corticosteroid therapy (except replacement therapy for adrenal insufficiency) or other immunosuppressants are not permitted. Topical and/or inhaled steroids are allowed.