[Treatment Outcome of Axitinib for Metastatic Renal-Cell Carcinoma Patients].

Axitinib was approved for use in Japan as a salvage therapy for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in 2012. We retrospectively evaluated the cases of 32 RCC patients that were treated with Axitinib as a 2nd- or further-line therapy between November 2012 and March 2017. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and adverse events were assessed. The median OS and PFS from the initiation of Axitinib were 29 and 11 months, respectively. Nineteen patients received Axitinib as a 2nd-line treatment, in whom the median OS and median PFS were 22 and 10 months, respectively, while the median OS and PFS were 29 and 15.5 months, respectively, amongthe 13 patients who received Axitinib as a 3rd- or further-line treatment, which suggested that Axitinib is effective in the 3rd-line and further-line settings. A Cox multivariate model revealed that bone metastasis was a significant adverse factor for OS. Common grade 3 or higher adverse events included hypertension (28%), diarrhea (7%), and proteinuria (7%). Although the present study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of salvage Axitinib treatment in patients who had recurrent disease after the initial systemic therapy, further large-scale studies should be warranted to make clear its clinical effectiveness in these patients.