Patients taking pazopanib for advanced renal cancer report better quality of life

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

Two FDA-approved first-line treatments for renal cell cancer were proven to have equal benefits in patients with metastatic kidney cancer; however, the safety profile and many quality-of-life measures favored one drug over the other. A large international clinical trial led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that pazopanib (Votrient) was better tolerated compared with sunitinib (Sutent). The study, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of pazopanib, compared the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the two similar tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The researchers reported that clinical results were comparable, but patients taking pazopanib had fewer phone consultations with providers and fewer visits to emergency departments, which could influence cost-benefit comparisons.