MILWAUKEE (PRWEB)
December 20, 2019

Motivated by the substantial progress in translational and clinical research and improved clinical outcomes seen in recent years, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) today published updated Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

“The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer consensus statement on immunotherapy for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC),” authored under the guidance of the SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines Renal Cell Carcinoma Subcommittee, provides oncologists and other advanced practice providers an updated clinical roadmap to treating this disease with immunotherapies approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including the promising class of therapies known as checkpoint inhibitors.

“Immunotherapies using interferon-alpha and interleukin-2 have been the only available options for initial treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma for the past couple of decades and some patients have benefited tremendously,” said Michael B. Atkins, MD, co-chair of the SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines Renal Cell Carcinoma Subcommittee. “Now that checkpoint inhibitors are FDA-approved and available for a broad population of patients, our SITC subcommittee developed this manuscript to help provide medical oncologists with expert guidance for incorporating various immunotherapy agents and regimens into their practice.”

The SITC guidelines are comprised of consensus expert recommendations that serve to inform clinicians about all aspects of patient management for advanced renal cell carcinoma during immunotherapy. Updated to reflect the U.S. FDA approval of checkpoint inhibitors as front-line treatments for renal cell carcinoma, the publication includes consensus statements on treatment selection and sequencing, the use of predictive biomarkers and appropriate patient testing, and the management of adverse events. Published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC), the society’s open access, peer-reviewed online journal, the guidelines are an update to the society’s previously published renal cell carcinoma treatment recommendations from November 2016.

“One of the most important objectives for SITC is to disseminate the latest advances in cancer immunotherapy research,” said SITC President Mario Sznol, MD. “Through initiatives like the SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines, SITC seeks to provide an important and well documented resource of information to oncologists and other clinical care providers so that they can achieve the best outcomes for their patients.”

The SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines are a collection of unbiased consensus statements developed by leading experts to help oncologists determine when and how to best use immunotherapy to treat their patients. SITC has published Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines on cutaneous melanoma, prostate and bladder carcinomas, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer and hematologic malignancies. Additional guidelines are in development covering acute leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and immune-related adverse events.

Join Free Webinar to Learn More about these Guidelines with Leading Experts

Oncologists, nurses and other members of the cancer care team can continue their learning by participating in a free SITC webinar dedicated to discussion of the HNSCC guidelines on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, at 11 a.m. EST. The following experts will present during the free webinar and lead a question-and-answer session with participants: Michael B. Atkins, MD (Georgetown-Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center); Dena Battle (KCCure); David McDermott, MD (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center); and Brian Rini, MD (Vanderbilt University Medical Center).

This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and is eligible for ACPE and ANCC credit, see registration website for details. The webinar is jointly provided by Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. It is supported, in part, by independent medical education grant funding from Amgen, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, Celgene Corporation and Merck & Co., Inc.

Details of this webinar, including how attendees can register, are available on the SITC website, SITC Cancer Immunotherapy CONNECT.

About SITC

Established in 1984, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is a nonprofit organization of medical professionals dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the development, science and application of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology. SITC is comprised of influential basic and translational scientists, practitioners, health care professionals, government leaders and industry professionals around the globe. Through educational initiatives that foster scientific exchange and collaboration among leaders in the field, SITC aims to one day make the word “cure” a reality for cancer patients everywhere. Learn more about SITC, our educational offerings and other resources at sitcancer.org and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

About JITC

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC) is the official open access, peer-reviewed online journal of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer featuring an impact factor of 8.728. The journal publishes high-quality articles on all aspects of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy, on subjects across the basic science-translational-clinical spectrum. JITC publishes original research articles, literature reviews, position papers and practice guidelines, and case reports; invited commentaries may also be commissioned by the journal editors. These articles, freely accessible at jitc.biomedcentral.com, make JITC the leading forum for tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy research. Follow JITC on Twitter @jitcancer.

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