NCCN Guidelines for Kidney Cancer Updated to Include Pazopanib for Advanced Disease; Free Webinar Discusses Updates

The NCCN Guidelines for Kidney Cancer have been updated to incorporate the recently approved therapy pazopanib as a treatment option for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. In conjunction with this update, NCCN presents a series of free webinars scheduled for the week of November 9, 2009, hosted by an NCCN Guidelines Panel Member to review the information that supported modification of the NCCN Guidelines.

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following the recent FDA approval of pazopanib (Votrient(TM), GlaxoSmithKline) for advanced renal cell carcinoma, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has updated the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM) for Kidney Cancer to include pazopanib as a therapy option for patients with advanced kidney cancer. NCCN has developed a new educational initiative, NCCN Guidelines Update Webinar Series(TM): Kidney Cancer, designed to quickly communicate significant updates and the basis of the NCCN Guidelines. Four webinars are scheduled for the week of November 9, 2009.

The FDA approved pazopanib on October 19 for advanced renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer in which cancerous cells invade the lining of small tubes in the kidney called tubules. The therapy works by attacking key proteins involved in cancer tumor growth and survival.

The FDA based their decision on the outcome of a phase III, open-label, multi-center clinical trial in patients with advanced clear cell renal carcinoma which showed increased progression-free survival in patients treated with pazopanib compared to those who did not receive the therapy.

Based upon this data, the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Kidney Cancer has added pazopanib as a first-line therapy option for those with predominant clear cell histology (category 1 designation) and for those with non clear cell histology (category 3 designation). In addition, pazopanib has been incorporated into the options for subsequent therapy for those with predominant clear cell histology following cytokine therapy (category 1 designation) and following other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (category 3 designation).

Pazopanib is among a growing list of therapies that has recently been approved by the FDA for kidney cancer. Most recently in April 2009, everolimus (Afinitor(R), Novartis) was approved and integrated into the NCCN Guidelines as a recommended treatment option.

The NCCN Guidelines Update Webinar Series(TM): Kidney Cancer are free 45-minute webinars that will consist of a presentation by Robert A. Figlin, M.D., a member of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Kidney Cancer from City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as an interactive question and answer period for participants. A series of four webinars have been scheduled for the week of November 9 at varying times to allow for increased participation. To view a list of scheduled dates and times as well as register for a webinar, visit NCCN.org.

NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM) are developed and updated through an evidence-based process with explicit review of the scientific evidence integrated with expert judgment by multidisciplinary panels of physicians from NCCN Member Institutions. The most recent version of this and all the NCCN Guidelines are available free of charge at NCCN.org.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, Memphis, TN; Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN.

For more information, visit NCCN.org.