Chuck beats the odds in fighting kidney cancer INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — This year alone, 81,000 people will be diagnosed with kidney cancer. More than 14,000 will die from it. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of it. And it can be difficult to treat, as many symptoms don’t occur until it’s almost too late. The good news is advancements in surgery, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies have significantly improved survival rates. And now, a new drug is giving patients even more hope that they can beat this disease. Chuck Stravin, who is fighting kidney cancer, is determined to complete his bucket list. “Watch all four girls graduate high school, watch all four girls graduate college,” Stravin said. But in 2015, chuck was diagnosed with a fist-sized tumor on his right kidney. It was Stage 4 kidney cancer. “I didn’t know that your kidney is literally no larger than only a little larger than your fist,” Stravin said. Traditional treatments for renal cell carcinoma are surgery, ablation, and immune checkpoint inhibitors. “These are some sort of immunotherapy that usually target a specific protein in the cancer,” said Dr. Toni Choueiri, an oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Now, doctors at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are using a new FDA approved drug to help patients like Stravin. Belzutifan blocks HIF-2a, a protein crucial in tumor growth. In clinical trials, Belzutifan reduced the risk of progression by 25% and had fewer side effects, giving patients and their doctors another way to fight kidney cancer. “Hopefully the time will come where patients, even with stage four kidney cancer, we can tell them, look, you have 50-50 chance of cure,” said Dr. Choueiri. In the past two years, Stravin’s cancer has not progressed. “I proudly walked Kayla down the aisle. The most important thing on my list is grandkids. And having been a girl dad now for the last 30-plus years, you know, I’m pulling for a grandson or two,” Stravin said. A decade ago, a person diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer had a survival rate of about a year. Today, advancements in treatment have significantly extended life expectancy more than five years. This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.