Below the Belt Award

Immunotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (tablet targeted therapies) have revolutionised the treatment of advanced clear cell renal cell cancer (ccRCC), the most common type of kidney cancer. Computed tomography (CT) scans are used to determine where the cancer is and how it is responding to treatments. CT scans have limitations, however, only showing us tumour deposits physically and not reflecting how active they are. A new type of positron emission tomography (PET) scan, targeting “prostate specific membrane antigen” (PSMA), appears very useful in diagnosing the extent of ccRCC spread before treatment and to see if the treatment is working. This is likely because RCC deposits have many small blood vessels, with the PSMA protein being found in these blood vessels, and not because it is related to the prostate. Many tablet targeted therapies affect cancer blood vessel development, and as such, this project seeks to understand whether a PSMA PET scan is useful in visualising patients’ tumours after they have been treated with these therapies. Additionally, we want to understand if tumours that remain active on PSMA PET might be sensitive to another tablet targeted therapy, potentially allowing us to tailor the right treatment, to the right patient, at the right time.