Positive results from Phase III trial on recurrent renal cell cancer

Pfizer recently announced the positive results of the S-TRAC clinical trial, a year-long trial that showed SUTENT (sunitinib) improved the disease-free survival (DFS) rate for patients suffering from renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

More than 670 patients participated in the Global and China trials. The results are from the top-line analysis of the Global portion; the results from the China portion of the trial are not complete.

“SUTENT has long been a standard of care for the treatment of advanced RCC, and has reached more than 250,000 patients across diagnoses around the world since its initial approval 10 years ago,” Pfizer Chief Development Officer, Oncology, Dr. Mace Rothenberg said. “We believe the results from the S-TRAC trial support the potential for SUTENT to be a treatment option in a broader range of patients. We look forward to sharing the detailed results of S-TRAC with the oncology community and discussing these data points with health authorities to determine an appropriate regulatory path forward.”

The trial compared adjuvant SUTENT to a placebo in patients at risk of recurring RCC. The patients received the medication or placebo after surgery.

RCC is diagnosed in approximately 90 percent of kidney cancers. If caught in the early stage, RCC has a better prognosis, but the five-year survival rate for patients with advanced RCC is only 16 percent.