Sorafenib: recent update on activity as a single agent and in combination with interferon-alpha2 in patients with advanced-stage renal cell carcinoma.

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma does not respond favorably to conventional treatment strategies and is not very responsive to cytokine therapy. Therefore, novel targeted treatment approaches have been explored for patients with renal cancer who have chemotherapy-refractory disease. Sorafenib (BAY 43-9006) is a small-molecule inhibitor that has been shown to target members of multiple classes of tyrosine kinases that are known to be involved in tumor cell proliferation and tumor angiogenesis. These kinases include vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-1, VEGFR-2, VEGFR-3, platelet-derived growth factor receptor, Flt-3, c-kit, and Raf kinases. Based on the significant improvement in progression-free survival, sorafenib received Food and Drug Administration approval in December 2005 for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. In combination studies, sorafenib with other antitumor agents has demonstrated significant clinical activity in patients with renal cell carcinoma. As discussed in this mini-review, the clinical potency of sorafenib as a single agent or in combination with other antitumor agents is being evaluated in several ongoing clinical trials in patients with renal carcinoma.