Kidney Research UK has welcomed the latest National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommending the combined use of two different targeted therapies to treat adults in England living with a particular type of advanced kidney cancer. 

Kidney cancer is the 11th most common cause of cancer death in the UK; some 28,485 people in England were diagnosed with the condition between 2020 and 2022. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer, but patients can respond to treatments differently. 

Under the guidance the NHS will fund treatment combining avelumab - which helps the body to recognise and attack cancer cells - with axitinib - a targeted therapy that restricts blood flow to the cancer cells and so prevents them from developing. This treatment can stop the cancer cells from growing as well as forming new blood vessels. The new guidance specifies that the combined treatment should only be used when considered to be the most suitable option for adults with untreated advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).  

Commenting on the new guidance Alison Railton Kidney Research UK’s director of policy and public affairs said: “This recommendation offers an important treatment option for some people living with advanced renal cell carcinoma. 

“Kidney Research UK provided comments during the consultation phase of this appraisal process.  Some types of RCC can be difficult to treat, especially if diagnosed later.  This is positive news for people living with this type of cancer when it is untreated and advanced as it may impact their quality of life and long-term survival.”