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Mammalian Targets of Rapamycin Inhibitors: Temsirolimus and Everolimus

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Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

mTOR is a key intracellular hub which integrates a number of signals coming from different sources, mainly but not exclusively related to cell metabolism; the mTOR pathway appears to be deregulated in a number of human malignancies including renal cell carcinoma.

To date, two mTOR inhibitors have been registered for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma: temsirolimus (for treatment-naïve patients with poor prognostic features) and everolimus (for the treatment of patients previously treated with one or two VEGF-targeting agents). Temsirolimus was the very first drugs which, within a randomized controlled phase III study, induced an overall survival benefit against an active comparator, while everolimus was the first drug which proved able to prolong progression-free survival in the post-tyrosine kinase inhibitor setting. Subsequent studies investigated the role of the two drugs in different settings, yielding conflicting results. Further development of these two drugs in renal cell carcinoma is expected, even though only the identification of reliable genetic or molecular biomarkers will lead to a tailored, and thus smarter, use of these drugs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Oncology, I.R.C.C.S. San Matteo University Hospital Foundation, Piazzale C. Golgi, 19, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Camillo Porta M.D. & Silvia Chiellino M.D.

  2. Italian Group of Nephro-Oncology/Gruppo Italiano di Nefrologia Oncologica (GION), Pavia, Italy

    Camillo Porta M.D.

  3. Medical Oncology, Santa Chiara Hospital, Trento, Italy

    Mimma Rizzo M.D.

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  1. Camillo Porta M.D.
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  2. Silvia Chiellino M.D.
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  3. Mimma Rizzo M.D.
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Correspondence to Camillo Porta M.D. .

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  1. Department of Urology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Mototsugu Oya

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Porta, C., Chiellino, S., Rizzo, M. (2017). Mammalian Targets of Rapamycin Inhibitors: Temsirolimus and Everolimus. In: Oya, M. (eds) Renal Cell Carcinoma. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55531-5_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55531-5_11

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