Genitourinary Cancers

David F. McDermott, MD, discusses ongoing efforts to improve outcomes in advanced renal cell carcinoma through combination anti–VEGF/PD-1 regimens.

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor axitinib has been standard in the management of advanced renal cell carcinoma for about 5 years now, but the emergence of new agents has made some members of the oncology community concerned that its significance will be overlooked in favor of more recently approved treatments.

Neeraj Agarwal, associate professor in the Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, director of the Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program, Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, discusses some of the adverse events (AEs) associated with checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, professor of Medicine and Urology, Yale Cancer Center, discusses major targeted agents currently being studied in the treatment of patients with bladder cancer.

Robert J. Motzer, MD, attending physician, Genitourinary Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and professor of Medicine, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, discusses the FDA approval of nivolumab (Opdivo) versus everolimus (Afinitor) for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Guru Sonpavde, MD, discusses challenges with sequencing in advanced renal cell carcinoma and his vision for the field going forward.

David F. McDermott, MD, Director of Biologic Therapy and Cutaneous Oncology Programs, Hematology and Oncology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, discusses the combination of VEGF plus PD-1 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Lana Hamieh, MD, research fellow in Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, discusses characterization of patients with poor-risk metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Geoffrey Sklar, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Chesapeake Urology Associates, discusses the role of nivolumab in the treatment of patients with bladder cancer.

The FDA has granted a priority review to a supplemental new drug application for the use of the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab in cisplatin-ineligible patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma as a frontline therapy or following progression occurring ≥12 months after neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy.

Hans Hammers, MD, PhD, associate professor, Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, discusses a mature data set regarding nivolumab and ipilimumab in the treatment of patients with renal cell carcinoma.

Anobel Odisho, MD, urologic oncology fellow, University of Washington, discusses the use of a risk prediction model for patients with renal cell carcinoma.

As a result of the most recent presidential election, it is a big unknown what the new administration will bring as it relates to the future of healthcare in the US.

Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, professor of Medicine and Urology, Yale Cancer Center, discusses the recent explosion of immunotherapy research in the treatment landscape of bladder cancer.

The tail-end of this year saw 2 annual conferences occurring at the same time: the 2016 Large Urology Group Practice Association annual meeting in Chicago, and the 15th annual International Kidney Cancer Symposium in Miami. Both are covered in this issue’s Conference Highlights section, featuring key stories and landmark research in their respective fields.

Even with 1 FDA approval of an immunotherapeutic agent in urothelial carcinoma—and more expected in the coming months—chemotherapy regimens will continue to play a pivotal part in the treatment of patients with this disease.

Three recent drug approvals have shifted the landscape in the second-line setting for renal cell carcinoma, and researchers are now setting their sights on transforming upfront care.

Immunotherapy may be having a moment in the changing landscape of bladder cancer, but expert Gopa Iyer, MD, advises that there is much research to be done before physicians replace chemotherapy with these agents upfront.

The FDA has granted a priority review to a biologics license application for the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma whose disease has progressed on standard platinum‑based chemotherapy.

Robert G. Uzzo, MD, discusses the promise of immunotherapies as well as the challenges with using them across different indications in renal cell carcinoma.

Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, sheds light on the emerging roles of both immunotherapy and targeted agents in the treatment of patients with bladder cancer.

Dean F. Bajorin, MD, professor of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the standard chemotherapy approaches for patients with metastatic and muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Chung-Han (Joe) Lee, MD, medical oncologist Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses sequencing therapies for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Sanofi Pasteur plans to discontinue production of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin for the US market by mid-2017, startling physicians and patients who fear that a shortage of the widely used bladder cancer therapy will develop.

Immunotherapy combinations have significant potential as treatment for patients with renal cell carcinoma.