Challenges to Consider While Receiving Fotivda for Kidney Cancer

It’s important for patients with renal clear cell (RCC) carcinoma — a common type of kidney cancer — to consider the challenges associated with receiving Fotivda (tivozanib).

Fotivda is a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) to treat patients with renal clear cell carcinoma. Eligible patients experienced cancer relapse (returned) and had not improved after at least two previous lines of systemic therapy, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Fotivda for this patient population in March 2021.

Common side effects associated with the treatment of Fotivda alone include hypertension (high blood pressure) and diarrhea. However, because the drug has been around for several years, care teams are more equipped to help patients manage VEGF TKI-related side effects, Dr. Toni K. Choueiri explained to CURE® at the 2024 ESMO Congress.

Choueiri is a medical oncologist and director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and co-leader of the Kidney Cancer Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Cancer Center, both in Boston.

READ MORE: Navigating Nutrition, Frailty During Kidney or Bladder Cancer Is Key

At ESMO, Choueiri sat down with CURE® to discuss Fotivda and what patients should expect regarding side effects.

Transcript:

[Fotivda (tivozanib)] is a very clean VEGF TKI, actually, the side effect profile having been compared in a randomized phase 3 [trial], to cabozantinib, [Lenvima (lenvatinib)], mostly to [Nexavar (sorafenib)] in the TIVO-3 study.

But I can tell you, it's on target [with] VEGF toxicity. You see hypertension, you see diarrhea. The half-life (amount of time for the body to process the drug’s dose in half) is short, and it's been on in our hands for some time. So, we know how to reduce doses [and] increase again [or] hold the drug. It needs constant care for hypertension, diarrhea, etc. But our team here, including our providers [and] nursing staff, have been quite familiar for some time with managing VEGF TKI side effects.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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