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Sunitinib is an orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor with activity against both vascular-endothelial-growth-factor and platelet-derived-growth-factor receptors. These receptor tyrosine kinases play key roles in the pathogenesis of clear-cell carcinoma, which is the predominant histologic subtype of kidney cancer. Two multicenter phase II trials of sunitinib in patients with advanced renal cancer (predominantly clear-cell histology) demonstrated substantial activity: Objective response rates were about 40%, with a possible effect on progression-free survival.
In a new, industry-sponsored, international, phase III study, researchers randomized 750 patients with previously untreated metastatic clear-cell renal carcinoma to receive eith…