Dr. McDermott on an Analysis of the CheckMate-214 Study in RCC

David F. McDermott, MD, director of the Biologic Therapy Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, discusses an analysis of the CheckMate-214 study in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Findings from the CheckMate-214 trial showed that frontline treatment with the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) reduced the risk of death by 32% compared with sunitinib (Sutent) for patients with metastatic RCC. The trial led to the FDA approval of the combination as a frontline treatment for intermediate- and poor-risk patients with advanced RCC.

In an analysis presented at the 2018 ESMO Congress, investigators evaluated the treatment-free interval (TFI) following discontinuation of first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab or sunitinib in patients with advanced RCC on the CheckMate-214 trial. Findings from this analysis showed that in patients with intermediate- or poor-risk disease, nivolumab plus ipilimumab was associated with a significantly longer TFI. Investigators noted that TFI should be considered as a part of the traditional efficacy measures when evaluating therapeutic options for patients with advanced RCC.