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Dr. Christopher Wood is the Chair of the Kidney Cancer Association's Board of Directors, a member of the KCA's Medical Steering Committee, and a surgeon and professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. We spoke with Dr. Wood about serving on the Board and his work in medicine. Dr. Chris Wood with Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell and…

Nothing in Salima Witt’s history would have suggested kidney cancer. Salima was healthy and active, did not smoke or drink alcohol, was diligent with yearly checkups, blood work, and wellness tests, and she had none of the common symptoms of kidney cancer such as side pain, fatigue, or blood in the urine. But after an otherwise ordinary ER visit in…

A few members of the KCA community have shared what is helping them stay safe, sane, and be joyful through the coronavirus pandemic.  Susan Alanis | KCA's Director of Gift Processing What are you doing to stay safe? I’m wearing a mask when I do have to go out in public. It’s also so important to eat healthy to maintain…

Mike Kelly, 67, was diagnosed with stage IV clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) last fall and had a nephrectomy to remove his left kidney at MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) in Houston, Texas soon after. Kelly also began participating in a clinical trial early in 2020 for which he takes the tyrosine kinase inhibitor Cabometyx® (cabozantinib). Already attentive to…

In the phase III CheckMate-9ER trial, nivolumab (Opdivo) plus cabozantinib (Cabometyx) combined improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with sunitinib (Sutent) in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who had not previously received treatment. “The results from the pivotal CheckMate -9ER trial clearly demonstrate the combination of cabozantinib plus nivolumab provides a clinically meaningful benefit in…

Personalized nutrition support available “on demand” to patients and caregivers HOUSTON – April 16, 2020 – The Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) is pleased to announce its partnership with Savor Health® to bring Ina®, The Intelligent Nutrition Assistant to the kidney cancer community. Ina® provides personalized, evidence-based nutrition support “on demand” to help people living with cancer stay well-nourished and manage…

During these challenging days, I've been searching for any possible positives that might come out of this healthcare crisis we're in together. Here are a few: Possibly we will learn that less immunotherapy (fewer doses) will be equally effective as the doses that were originally tested and approved. For years there have been whispers in the hallways that we may…

Many kidney cancer patients and caregivers are concerned about the risk of getting and/or becoming very ill if infected by the novel coronavirus COVID-19. In discussions on Facebook, online support networks, and other social media platforms, risk is a major theme. Dr. Brian Rini, Chief of Clinical Trials at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee and a member of the…

As the award cycle for the 2020 Young Investigator Awards (YIAs) and Advanced Discovery Awards (ADAs) opens, we're reflecting on the 2019 grant recipients. These innovative researchers are helping to advance our understanding of kidney cancer and improve patients’ lives.  Dr. Scott Haake is a medical oncologist and a PhD candidate in cancer biology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Haake received…

Kidney Cancer Awareness Month has come to a close. We are ending the month in a very different place than we started and amid the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, how to stay safe and well is surely top of mind for many, especially those impacted by kidney cancer. Visit our COVID-19 Information and Resources page In this extraordinary…