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"Predicting Response to Antiangiogenic Therapies in Renal Cell Carcinoma"

The ASCO Cancer Foundation has recently communicated with our researchers on the progress they have made during the first six months of their grant term. We are excited to share with you the update we received from Dr. Stephen Keefe, currently at work at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania through the generous support of the Kidney Cancer Association.

Here is what Dr. Keefe had to say about his research:

“The grant is being used to provide salary support for the principal investigator, Dr. Stephen Keefe, for time spent on a retrospective cohort study investigating single-nucleotide polymorphisms as molecular biomarkers of response to the treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma with antiangiogenic therapy.  Thus, the relevant project is this cohort study.  

Work on the study has proceeded well through the first half of the grant period.  The study cohort has been comprised from a group of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated on several phase II clinical trials with sorafenib.  Patients were treated with the drug through disease progression.  The phase II clinical trials have been completed.  Over the last 6 months, the clinical data pertaining to the care of these patients on study has been acquired.  Additionally, biological specimens have been collected, and DNA has been extracted from these specimens.  The study takes a candidate gene approach to the determination of the association of SNPs with clinical outcome.  The pre-specified gene of interest for this study is VEGFR2.  Genotyping has been completed to determine the genotypes of patients with respect to the 24 validated SNPs of interest.  Clinical and genetic data have been examined carefully to ensure that they are of high integrity.  A variety of analyses have been completed in order to accomplish this task.  Considerable work also has been performed toward the compilation of the data into a single dataset for analysis.  This step is nearing completion.  

The general goals for the project over the next 6 months will include the following: i.) completion of the organization of data for analysis, ii.) data analysis, iii.) compilation of findings into manuscript form, iv.) publication of results.  It is anticipated that the project will remain on schedule and that it will be completed within the grant funding period.”

Elizabeth Hagen
Program Assistant
The ASCO Cancer Foundation