AFINITOR is a once-daily oral inhibitor of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) whose disease has progressed on or after treatment with VEGF-targeted therapy
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Setting Patient Expectations
When should your patients start therapy with AFINITOR® (everolimus) tablets?
According to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, AFINITOR is the first and only Category 1 treatment option after initial VEGF** tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) failure. Consider easing your patients' transition after initial VEGF-targeted therapy. AFINITOR is the only daily oral therapy with proven efficacy after initial sunitinib or sorafenib treatment in advanced renal cell carcinoma. Find out more about how to start your patients on AFINITOR.
What kind of response could your patients expect with AFINITOR?
Clinical trials have shown that people receiving AFINITOR as a second line therapy after initial sunitinib or sorafenib failure in advanced renal cell carcinoma have experienced a clear therapeutic benefit. While results may vary, on average, people of all MSKCC* risk types treated with AFINITOR were more likely to be progression-free after six months than patients taking a placebo1. Learn more about the clinical trial design.
In clinical trials, some people treated with AFINITOR had serious side effects. Learn ways to help manage side effects.
How is AFINITOR thought to work?
AFINITOR is a signal transduction inhibitor targeting mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin). This means that, unlike other therapies that primarily inhibit tumor angiogenesis, AFINITOR works by directly inhibiting mTOR. This has proven to result in reduced tumor cell growth and proliferation, inhibited cell metabolism and decreased tumor angiogenesis. See how AFINITOR works.
How long should your patients be on therapy with AFINITOR?
Most patients should take one 10-mg AFINITOR tablet once daily at the same time, consistently either with or without food. No premedication is required, and no dose adjustments are necessary for age, gender, body weight or renal function. AFINITOR should most likely be continued until it is determined that the cancer has grown larger or spread, or until the risks of taking AFINITOR outweigh the benefits. Find more information on recommended dosing & administration.
Next: Managing Side Effects
*MSKCC: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
**VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor
Reference:
1. AFINITOR [summary of product information]. Basel Switzerland: Novartis Pharma AG.
