NCCN Updates Kidney Cancer Guidelines to Incorporate FDA Approval of Everolimus

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has added everolimus (Afinitor) to the NCCN Guidelines for Kidney Cancer as a category 1 option for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma following failure of tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as sunitinib (Sutent) and sorafenib (Nexavar). This recommendation comes on the heels of the recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of everolimus.

The FDA approval is based on results of a clinical trial showing that the everolimus treatment improved median progression-free survival to 4.9 months compared to 1.9 months in patients who did not receive the treatment.