Eisai unveils digital platform for kidney cancer patients

Eisai has launched a 'digital destination', called Kompass, that aims to support patients after they have been given a diagnosis of kidney cancer.

The website-based platform, at www.KidneyCancerKompass.com, has been developed in partnership with patient organisations KCCure, KidneyCAN, the Kidney Cancer Association, and the National Kidney Foundation.

Kompass is designed to serve as a starting point for new kidney cancer patients, or the people caring for them, so they can make informed decisions on treatment options, understand and manage side effects, find online groups to get support from other people with kidney cancer, and get advice on things like nutrition and wellness.

"A kidney cancer diagnosis can be shocking and overwhelming for patients and their loved ones, as most cases are discovered incidentally and approximately 30% of diagnoses occur at an advanced stage," said Eisai.

That can leave patients and carers dealing with a flood of unfamiliar medical terminology and time-sensitive treatment decisions, and often unsure where to start or what information to trust. The company and its advocacy partners set out to create an accessible, web-based resource that could bring that information together into one place.

Resources include videos, doctor discussion guides, healthcare terminology explanations, detailed information on various treatment options, and honest advice about what to expect from treatment from other survivors.

Kompass visitors can also access one-on-one support, including helplines, patient navigation services, counselling services, and peer mentoring programmes.

"Every person facing kidney cancer has different challenges and concerns, and it can be a very isolating experience," said Bryan Lewis, a kidney cancer survivor and chief executive of KidneyCAN.

"Patients and caregivers have expressed a clear need for guidance tailored to their specific situations as well as human connection with others who understand what they're going through," he added. "With that in mind, Kompass was created to help this community feel more empowered and informed."

Eisai has a position in kidney cancer with Lenvima (lenvatinib), a kinase inhibitor that is approved for use in combination with MSD's cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as a first-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) – the most common form of the disease.

It can also be used as a second-line treatment, with everolimus, in patients with RCC that has progressed despite prior anti-angiogenic therapy.