Sequential Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma : results from a large cohort of patients

BACKGROUND: Only scanty data are available to evaluate the impact of sequential TKIs on overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). This retrospective study investigated the efficacy of the sequence sorafenib-sunitinib (SO-SU) and vice versa (SU-SO) in a real-life scenario. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Median progression free-survival (PFS) and OS were evaluated. The correlation between PFS and OS was also assessed. RESULTS: In total, 104 patients received SO-SU and 21 (16.8%) SO-SU. No differences in PFS or OS were observed (PFS for SO-SU=26.1 months, and for SU-SO=20.0 months; OS=35.3 and 27.0 months, respectively). For both sequences, only a weakly-positive correlation between PFS and OS was observed. CONCLUSION: Our data support the use of the sequence of the two TKIs in a real-life setting. No strong evidence of a correlation between PFS and OS was observed.