EURURO Vol. 72 No. 6

861 1030

Platinum Opinion
Setting Research Priorities for Kidney Cancer
Jennifer[2_TD$DIFF] M. Jones Jaimin Bhatt Jonathan Avery Andreas Laupacis Katherine Cowan
Naveen S. Basappa [3_TD$DIFF] Joan Basiuk Christina Canil Sohaib Al-Asaaed Daniel Y.C. Heng [4_TD$DIFF]
Lori Wood Dawn Stacey Christian Kollmannsberger , Michael A.S. Jewett
a Cancer Rehabilitation and Survivorship Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, and Department of Psychiatry, University of
Toronto, Toronto, Canada; bDepartments of Surgery and Surgical Oncology (Division of Urology), Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health
Network, and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; c School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; d Li Ka Shing Knowledge
Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada; e James Lind Alliance, Southampton, UK; f
[5_TD$DIFF]Cross Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; g Kidney Cancer Research Network of Canada; h Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, University of[7_TD$DIFF]
Ottawa, Ottawa[8_TD$DIFF] Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada; i
[10_TD$DIFF]Division of Medical Oncology[1_TD$DIFF], Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada;
j Department of Medical Oncology, University of Calgary and Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, Canada; k Division of Medical Oncology, Department of
Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada; l Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada;
m Medical Oncology, University of British Columbia and Medical Oncology BC Cancer Agency
Setting of health research priorities by health care providers
that incorporate the views of patients and caregivers can
improve the relevance, quality, and uptake of the research,
but this approach is not typical . Researchers submit
proposals based on their own perceived priorities, but these
may not be shared, even by other clinicians . The
James Lind Alliance (JLA), an international leader in setting
research priorities recommends bringing patients,
caregivers, and clinicians together with their representative
organizations to reach consensus on the top research
priorities .
There has been a vigorous renaissance of research in
kidney cancer. The development of a strategic agenda
informed by current evidence and the perceived priorities
of stakeholders is needed. The Kidney Cancer Research
Network of Canada (KCRNC) in collaboration with the JLA,
Kidney Cancer Canada, and the Kidney Foundation of Canada
adapted the JLA process to define the following top ten
priorities[11_TD$DIFF] for which there was a three-way tie for the top.
1a Development and evaluation of new effective treat-
ments for patients with advanced kidney cancer of
the non–clear-cell varieties.
Despite new targeted therapies, optimal treatment
for non–clear-cell varieties remains uncertain. While
small clinical trials such as ASPEN [12_TD$DIFF] and ESPN [13_TD$DIFF]
have established that approved targeted agents may be
somewhat effective, more research is required. The
SWOG-led intergroup trial NCT02761057 compares
sunitinibwith volitinib/cabozantinib or crizotinib, which
have activity against MET. The Cancer Genome Atlas has
characterized papillary type I renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
with MET mutations, and divided type II papillary RCCs
into at least three subgroups with activation of the NRF2-
ARE pathway, CDKN2A loss, and CIMP; the latter two are
associated with poorer prognosis [14_TD$DIFF] . Further studies
are needed in the new era of immunoncology.
1b Identification and validation of biomarkers that may
be used to predict the response to a treatment for
kidney cancer.
1c Identification and validation of biomarkers that may
be used for the detection of kidney cancer.
The identification and validation of specific biomark-
ers may provide cost-effective, safe, and more reliable
tools for kidney cancer screening [15_TD$DIFF] . Recent evi-
dence suggests that urinary AQP1 and PLIN2 concen-
trations are elevated in patients with kidney cancer
[16_TD$DIFF] , and urinary exosomes may be a prognostic
marker [17_TD$DIFF] . Biomarkers of response and primary
ava ilable at
journal homepage:
* Corresponding author. Cancer Rehabilitation and Survivorship Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto M5G 2C4,
Canada. Tel. +1 416 5818603.
E-mail address: (J.M. Jones).
0302-2838/# 2017 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.