Dr. Pal on the Benefit of Tivozanib in Later-Line Settings for Refractory RCC

Sumanta K. Pal, MD, an associate clinical professor, Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research; co-director, Kidney Cancer Program; and a medical oncologist, City of Hope, discusses the benefit of tivozanib (Fotivda) in later-line setting treatment settings for patients with refractory renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

In the phase 3 TIVO-3 trial, tivozanib was compared with sorafenib (Nexavar) in patients with metastatic RCC. In the third- and fourth-line setting, tivozanib showed a significant benefit in progression-free survival over sorafenib, says Pal. Additionally, a more protracted benefit was associated with the experimental agent, adds Pal.

The Kaplan-Meier curves from the TIVO-3 trial, which were published in Lancet Oncology, show a tail on the curve, particularly in patients who received checkpoint inhibitors prior to entry on the trial. For those patients, there is a potential to consider tivozanib as a treatment for refractory disease, concludes Pal.