Dr. McKay on the Outcomes of Landmark Trials in Frontline RCC

Rana R. McKay, MD, medical oncologist, associate professor of medicine, University of California San Diego, discusses the outcomes of landmark clinical trials in frontline renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

At the 2021 Kidney Cancer Research Summit, there was updated data and a subset analysis from landmark frontline trials in RCC were recapped in a presentation, McKay explains. For example, the phase 3 CLEAR trial (NCT02811861) that looked at the combination of lenvatinib (Lenvima) plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) vs lenvatinib plus everolimus (Afinitor) vs sunitinib (Sutent) in patients with newly diagnosed advanced clear cell RCC. Data from the study led to the FDA approval of frontline lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab for patients with RCC, McKay explains. Similarly, data from the phase 3 KEYNOTE-426 (NCT02853331), which examined pembrolizumab plus axitinib (Inlyta) vs sunitinib, led to the FDA approval of the combination regimen, McKay adds.

Moreover, the phase 3 CheckMate 214 (NCT02231749) study looked at the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) plus ipilimumab (Yervoy) vs sunitinib and the phase 3 CheckMate 9ER (NCT03141177) trial evaluated cabozantinib (Cabometyx) plus nivolumab vs sunitinib, McKay continues. Data from these studies led to regulatory decisions from the FDA for the respective doublets in RCC. These studies have changed the way that RCC is treated, but updated data from the studies are intriguing and could further inform clinical decisions, McKay concludes.