Is an Effective Treatment for Hereditary and Sporadic Papillary Kidney Cancer at Hand?

Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) is a hereditary condition caused by germline mutations in the fumarate hydratase gene, which increase the risk for an aggressive papillary renal cell cancer that lacks effective therapy. In preclinical studies using HLRCC models, blockade of both vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) provided significant antitumor activity. Now, investigators have conducted an open-label, phase II trial of the combination of the VEGFA blocker bevacizumab and the EGFR blocker erlotinib in 40 patients with sporadic papillary renal cell carcinoma and 43 patients with HLRCC-associated papillary renal cell carcinoma. The primary end point was overall …