Pfizer’s Sutent shows benefits in combating recurrent RCC

Pfizer's drug Sutent has been shown to offer benefits to patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who are at a high risk for recurrence after surgery in a new clinical trial.

Data from the phase III S-TRAC trial has indicated that Sutent can help to improve disease-free survival rates, as determined by a blinded independent central review, among this patient group when used as an adjuvant therapy.

This represents the first RCC trial of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor to prolong disease-free survival in an adjuvant setting. This approach is considered promising in helping to lower the risk of recurrence in patients with early-stage cancer.

These findings were generated from the global cohort of the S-TRAC trial, with results from the China cohort to be reported at a later date.

Dr Mace Rothenberg, chief development officer for oncology at Pfizer's global product development unit, said: "We look forward to sharing the detailed results of S-TRAC with the oncology community and discussing this data with health authorities to determine an appropriate regulatory path forward."

Sutent was originally approved a decade ago and has been used to treat more than 250,000 people in that time.