Purpose  

To detail tolerance of temsirolimus in a routine practice setting within a compassionate use program for patients with renal cell carcinoma.

Methods  

We treated 32 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma with temsirolimus within the German compassionate use program on an individual patient basis free of charge according to EU guidelines at our two institutions. Twenty-five milligrams of temsirolimus was applied weekly in an inpatient clinical setting. Adverse events were classified following National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria.

Results  

No dose modification or therapy interruptions were necessary due to adverse events. Adverse events like asthenia/fatigue were observed in 43.8%, increased creatinine in 40.6%, mucositis in 31.3%, secondary diabetes in 28.1%, hypothyreosis in 12.5% and rash in 12.5%, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia in 9.3% of the patients.

Conclusion  

Therapy with temsirolimus in advanced renal cell carcinoma is well tolerated. In a routine practice setting it results in a predictable adverse event profile that can be managed medically.