New drug shows promise

A new multi-targeted anti-cancer drug has shown promising results against deadly renal cell cancer.

A new multi-targeted anti-cancer drug called SU11248 has shown promising results in the treatment for metastatic renal cell cancer, one of the most chemotherapy resistant of all cancers.

Renal cell cancer is diagnosed in approximately 30,000 people per year and has a five-year survival rate of about 55 per cent. The study's lead investigator, Robert Motzer, reported the results of a Phase II study at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

"This early study of SU11248 in the treatment for renal cancer has shown more activity as a single agent then any other drug I've studied in the past 15 years. While further research needs to be done to confirm these findings, I am very encouraged by this type of significant activity so early on, in treating such an aggressive disease," said Motzer.

SU11248 works through simultaneously blocking multiple tumour growth factor receptors known as tyrosine kinases. SU11248 cuts off the blood supply of the cancer and destroys cellular
reproduction.

In the current study, 63 patients with metastatic (advanced) renal carcinoma whose cancer had failed to respond to standard therapy received SU11248. The drug is taken orally and it was generally well tolerated, with patients experiencing mild to moderate side effects.

Twenty-one of them (33 per cent) showed a partial response to the drug and the condition of another 40 percent was shown as having stabilized.