Kidney cancer study questions need for surgery in advanced cases

NCT ID NCT00930033

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This phase 3 trial tested whether removing the kidney (nephrectomy) before taking the drug sunitinib helps people with metastatic kidney cancer live longer compared to taking sunitinib alone. 452 patients were randomly assigned to either surgery plus sunitinib or sunitinib only. The main goal was to see if adding surgery improved overall survival.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

Sunitinib

What this could lead to

If successful, this could show that skipping surgery and using only sunitinib is just as effective, sparing patients from an invasive procedure.

What could go wrong

This trial is already completed, so results are known. The study may not apply to all kidney cancer types, and sunitinib has side effects like fatigue and high blood pressure.

Disclaimer Read more

This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

renal cell carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Hopital Necker

    Paris, 75015, France