Researchers are testing the effectiveness of kidney cancer drug sorafenib in combination with the drugs gemcitabine and carboplatin, a chemotherapy regimen commonly used in bladder cancer.

February 14, 2009, (Sawf News) - Researchers are testing the effectiveness of kidney cancer drug sorafenib in combination with the drugs gemcitabine and carboplatin, a chemotherapy regimen commonly used in bladder cancer.

Sorafenib is an oral agent that is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of kidney cancer. It is considered one of the newer “targeted therapies” which has begun to receive a lot of attention in recent years. It is thought that sorafenib may have activity against blood vessels, which nourish bladder tumors and may make current chemotherapy more effective. This study will test this combination by allowing patients to take sorafenib orally at the same time they are receiving chemotherapy.

“Our ultimate goal is to improve current therapies for patients with advanced bladder cancer, since current therapies do not work well at all,” stated Dr. Janice M. Mehnert, medical oncologist at CINJ and assistant professor of medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

“At The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, our mission is to develop new treatments for patients that have limited options.”

According to the American Cancer Society, bladder cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer of the genitourinary tract. The chance of a man developing the disease in his lifetime is one in 27, while for a woman it is one in 85.

Patients with bladder cancer that is advanced may be eligible for the study, as long as they have not had chemotherapy for their advanced cancer (earlier forms of chemotherapy may be acceptable); if they have adequate kidney function; and if they meet other eligibility criteria. For more information on how to take part, individuals should call CINJ’s Office of Human Research Services at 732-235-8675.

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