Manuela Schmidinger, MD, medical oncologist, Medical University of Vienna, discusses the management of side effects from targeted therapies in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Targeted therapies for RCC have plenty of side effects, Schmidinger says. It is crucial that a treating physician pays attention to side effects and takes necessary prophylactic and therapeutic measures.

Otherwise, Schmidinger says, patient's compliance will be reduced over time and physicians are forced to reduce the dose of treatment. Ideally, a patient will stay on treatment at the full dose for as long as possible, as there is a clear dose-response relationship.

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Dr. Schmidinger on RCC Therapy Toxicity Management

Manuela Schmidinger, MD, medical oncologist, Medical University of Vienna, discusses the management of side effects from targeted agents in renal cell cancer, including hypertension, diarrhea, and hand-foot syndrome.

Hypertension is a common side effect, Schmidinger says, and is an important biomarker for response to treatment. Schmidinger says it is crucial to inform a patient prior to treatment, obtain a daily blood pressure reading in the first three months, and correct blood pressure.

Diarrhea affects a patient's quality of life greatly and a physician needs to provide prophylactic measures, Schmidinger says. A physician must also consider that diarrhea may be the result of drug-induced pancreatic insufficiency.

Hand-foot syndrome is also a common side effect and requires a pedicure before treatment. Schmidinger says following the pedicure, an application of local fatty ointments should be applied on a daily basis.

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Manuela Schmidinger, MD

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