Molecularly Targeted Cancer Medications and Kidney Health

Do patients treated with oral molecularly targeted cancer medications that are associated with an acute change in serum creatinine handling (pseudoacute kidney injury) have higher rates of progressive kidney dysfunction over 2 years?This cohort study found a higher incidence and relative rate for progressive kidney dysfunction for 5015 patients treated with cyclin dependent kinase 4 or 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors compared with matched controls without cancer. B-Raf (BRAF) inhibitors also had a higher relative rate. Breakpoint cluster region-Abelson leukemia virus 1, poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitors, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, and anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors did not have increased rates.These findings suggest that clinicians may need to monitor for progressive kidney dysfunction for patients treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors, EGFR, VEGFR, and BRAF inhibitors.

Corresponding Author: Susan Ziolkowski, MD, MS, 300 Pasteur Dr H307A, Palo Alto, CA 94305 (sziolkow@stanford.edu).

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