Concomitant renal cell carcinoma and chronic myelogenous leukemia: Utilization of a targeted approach

Numerous therapeutic options have been introduced for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (MRCC) in recent years, including monoclonal antibodies such as bevacizumab and small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as sunitinib and sorafenib. Similarly, several other small-molecule inhibitors-including imatinib, dasatinib, and nilotinib-have been approved for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The combination of these targeted agents is an area of intense clinical investigation. Here, we describe a patient diagnosed with MRCC)while on imatinib therapy for cml. Treatment of this patient with the combination of bevacizumab and imatinib led to a 6-month period of stable disease, with no treatment-related adverse events. More extensive clinical exploration of this combination of agents may therefore be warranted.