From David M. Waterhouse, MD, MPH, Co-director of Research at OHC
August 15, 2018
The average age of people diagnosed with cancer of the kidneys (renal cell carcinoma) is 64. Once diagnosed, if caught early, the five-year survival rate is 81%. But, if the cancer is caught at a later stage, survival rates plummet to less than 10%. In this day and age, 64 is very young. Many of these patients could live at least another 20 years or more if not for their unfortunate diagnosis.
Some good news is that a clinical trial is evaluating the effectiveness and safety of the use of Keytruda (pembrolizumab MK-3475) as a follow-up treatment for adults who have had surgery to remove cancer from the kidney and have either no evidence of disease or have risk of renal cell carcinoma with clear cell component. And it’s being offered here in Greater Cincinnati at OHC (Oncology Hematology Care, Inc.).
Keytruda has already been approved by the FDA based on its success in the treatment of advanced cancers that had resisted every standard treatment. Now researchers are looking at the use of Keytruda after removal of the kidney cancer to increase the chances of disease free survival.
Patients with renal cell carcinoma, or cancer of the kidneys, have surgery to remove the cancer. We have one group where we are following surgery with doses of Keytruda. We want to see if the patients not only survive longer, but survive with no recurrence of the cancer. That is, they will live disease free. And Keytruda is a form of immunotherapy, which means if they do benefit, it’s due to their own immune system retrained to fight the cancer.
For more information about treatments for kidney cancer and/or the clinical trials, contact OHC at 1-888-649-4800 or visit ohcare.com.
OHC has been fighting cancer on the front lines for more than three decades. We are the region’s leading experts in the treatment of nearly every form of adult cancer and complex blood disorder. OHC offers the latest medical, gynecologic and radiation therapy, and is always seeking better treatment options through participation in clinical trials. OHC is certified by the American Society for Clinical Oncology in the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative Certification Program, is an accredited Oncology Medical Home, and is one of only 196 cancer practices nationally to be accepted into the Medicare Oncology Initiative. At its heart, our approach to cancer care is simple – to surround you with everything you need so you can focus on what matters most: beating cancer.
