Kidney Cancer Highlights From ASCO 2023

In this exclusive MedPage Today video, Pavlos Msaouel, MD, PhD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, highlights some of the important updates in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting and explains the importance of dedicating trials to non-clear cell RCC subtypes.

Following is a transcript of his remarks:

It’s a good year for renal cell carcinoma. At ASCO, we’ve got some interesting follow-ups from clinical trials, like long-term follow-up from the CLEAR trial testing pembrolizumab [Keytruda] plus lenvatinib [Lenvima] versus the control arm of sunitinib [Sutent]. And KEYNOTE-426 testing pembrolizumab plus axitinib [Inlyta] versus the control arm of sunitinib.

So long-term follow-up, good to see that their responses and the efficacy still holds. Interesting to see more adverse event data.

Another interesting trial is CONTACT-03 that tested the combination of atezolizumab [Tecentriq] plus cabozantinib [Cabometyx] versus cabozantinib as control. The trial was negative for its survival endpoints of PFS [progression-free survival].

And there have been also good trials coming out for the non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma space. It’s important to support trials in the non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma space. There are data about the triplet combination of cabozantinib plus immune checkpoint combination with nivolumab [Opdivo] in non-clear cell renal cell carcinomas. And data in a large study of more than 150 patients, again with non-clear cell renal cell carcinomas, the efficacy of the combination of pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib.

Exciting to see the non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma histologies having trials, and it will be important in the future to have dedicated trials from now on for each of the non-clear cell renal carcinoma subtypes.