The RadiCaL Study: Enhancing Cabozantinib with Radium-223 Dichloride for Advanced Renal Cell Cancer with Bone Metastasis (RadiCal)

March 9, 2023

The RadiCaL trial is comparing the effectiveness of cabozantinib alone versus cabozantinib combined with radium-223 in metastatic renal cell cancer patients. This phase II trial investigates if the addition of radium-223 to the standard treatment, cabozantinib, improves outcomes in patients with bone metastases. Radium-223 is a radioactive drug that can target cancer cells directly while minimizing damage to normal cells. Cabozantinib works by inhibiting enzymes necessary for cancer cell growth. The combination of radium-223 and cabozantinib aims to reduce pain and symptoms associated with renal cell cancer that has spread to the bone, potentially providing better results compared to cabozantinib alone. An Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Trial.


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Speaker: This video is an overview of a new study for patients with metastatic kidney cancer. When kidney cancer leaves the kidney and spreads to other organs, it is called metastatic kidney cancer. A standard treatment for metastatic kidney cancer is a medication called cabozantinib, a pill that patients take by mouth. Cabozantinib can block kidney cancer from growing and spreading.

When kidney cancer travels to bones, it can cause pain or fracture. Another medication called radium 223 may help patients with kidney cancer that has spread to bones. Radium 223 is a drug that is infused in the bloodstream and targets the bones. It releases radioactivity that can kill kidney cancer cells living in bones. A key question is whether adding radium 223 can prevent problems like pain, broken bones, or needing additional medical treatments like radiation therapy.

On this trial, patients are randomly assigned to receive either the standard treatment with cabozantinib alone or cabozantinib with radium 223. Neither doctors nor patients decide which treatment patients receive. The study is not blinded, which means doctors and patients will know which treatments they receive. After treatment, doctors will monitor patients for side effects and check whether the kidney cancer responds to treatment. Scan the QR code for more information.