AVEO Oncology of Cambridge and Japanese drug maker Astellas Pharma Inc. said Friday that AVEO has submitted a new drug application to the US Food and Drug Administration for a potential treatment for advanced kidney cancer.

Their drug candidate is called tivozanib, and the companies said they are seeking FDA approval to market in the US as a treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, or RCC, a technical name for advanced kidney cancer. In early 2011, AVEO entered an agreement with Astellas that calls for the Japanese company to commercialize the drug in many countries outside the United States.

It has been estimated that more than 250,000 people around the world are diagnosed with kidney cancer annually, and more than 100,000 people die from the disease each year, the companies’ press release noted.

Earlier this year, AVEO signed a lease to relocate its operations to Kendall Square. With several offices in Cambridge, it currently has more than 300 employees.