E-Newsletter - February 2022
Spotlight on Alliance Trials

MARCH IS ... National KIDNEY Cancer Awareness month

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. Other less common types of kidney cancer can occur. Currently, Alliance has two RCC trials now enrolling participants. Take a look.

Tian Zhang, MD, of UT Southwestern Medical Center, leads Alliance A031704 (PD-inhibitor (nivolumab) and ipilimumab followed by nivolumab vs. VEGF TKI cabozantinib with nivolumab: A phase III trial in metastatic untreated renal cell cancer (PDIGREE)).

Alliance A031704 (PDIGREE) is a phase III trial that looks at how well nivolumab and ipilimumab, followed by nivolumab versus cabozantinib and nivolumab, work in treating patients with renal cell cancer that is untreated and has spread to other parts of the body. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab and ipilimumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cabozantinib, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known how well cabozantinib and nivolumab work in treating patients with untreated renal cell cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. This trial opened to enrollment on May 9, 2019. To learn more about this trial, visit. CT.gov. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03793166 | Alliance Website

Rana R. McKay, MD, of the University of California San Diego, leads Alliance A031801 (A phase II randomized trial of radium-223 dichloride and cabozantinib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma with bone metastasis (RadiCal).

Alliance A031801 (RadiCaL) is a phase II trial that studies whether adding radium-223 dichloride to the usual treatment, cabozantinib, improves outcome in patients with renal cell cancer that has spread to the bone. Radioactive drugs such as radium-223 dichloride may directly target radiation to cancer cells and minimize harm to normal cells. Cabozantinib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Giving radium-223 dichloride and cabozantinib may help lessen the pain and symptoms from renal cell cancer that has spread to the bone, compared to cabozantinib alone. This trial opened to enrollment on December 13, 2019. To learn more about this trial, visit. CT.gov. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04071223 | Alliance Website
 

Special note: Drs. Zhang and McKay will host a Joint GU Webinar (PDIGREE and RadiCaL) on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, from 12 pm-1 pm EST (9 am-10 am PST). Alliance welcomes representatives from participating and pending sites to attend the virtual meeting. Visit CTSU.org for a webinar invitation. (See Protocol Update, 02-Feb-2022, A031704 and A031801).

 

For other articles in this issue of the Alliance E-News newsletter, see below.