Evaluation of polymorphisms in angiogenesis-related genes as predictive and prognostic markers for sunitinib-treated metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients.

Purpose: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in angiogenesis-associated genes might play an important role in activity of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib and could affect survival of cancer patients treated with this drug. The aim of this retrospective study was to elucidate the role of 10 known SNPs in VEGFA, VEGFR1, VEGFR2 and VEGFR3 as potential prognostic and predictive markers in an independent cohort of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

Methods: DNA from 121 mRCC patients treated with sunitinib was used to analyze SNPs by TaqMan genotyping assays.

Analyses of potential predictive markers and survival data for a response to sunitinib in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Background: Patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are frequently treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) such as sunitinib. It inhibits angiogenic pathways by mainly targeting the receptors of VEGF and PDGF. In ccRCC, angiogenesis is characterized by the inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau gene (VHL) which in turn leads to the induction of HIF1α target genes such as CA9 and VEGF.