Dr. Balar on Phase III ASSURE Trial Results

Arjun V. Balar, MD, oncologist, NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses the results of the phase III ASSURE trial, which compared sorafenib and sunitinib in patients with locally advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

The ASSURE trial examined outcomes in patients who were administered either sorafenib, sunitinib, or a placebo in the adjuvant setting. Neither the sorafenib nor the sunitinib arm demonstrated a progression-free survival or overall survival benefit, Balar explains. Researchers had hopes that the multitargeted VEGF TKIs would have potential in this setting for patients.

From these results, clinicians can theorize that VEGF TKI therapy may not have a role in the adjuvant setting, but it does play a role in patients with metastatic kidney cancer, Balar says.