Dr. Robert Motzer Reviews the Phase III COMPARZ Study

Robert J. Motzer, MD, attending physician, genitourinary oncology service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and professor of medicine, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, discusses the COMPARZ trial that compared pazopanib to sunitinib as a first-line treatment for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

In the noninferiority study, 1110 patients with mRCC were randomized to receive pazopanib or sunitinib. The primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) was statistically met, with a hazard radio of 1.047. Overall, these agents demonstrated similar antitumor activity, Motzer points out.

In a safety analysis, varying adverse events were reported for each agent. Treatment with pazopanib was commonly associated with liver enzyme elevation and weight loss. For sunitinib, patients reported fatigue, changes in taste, hand-foot syndrome, and thrombocytopenia.

An extensive analysis of quality of life (QoL) was conducted as part of the trial. Overall, 4 different questionnaires were used to assess 14 QoL domains. In total, in 11 of the 14 domains, patients reported a preference for pazopanib over sunitinib. Based on these scores, Motzer adds, QoL is better in those receiving pazopanib.