Dr. Choueiri on Frontline Trials of Immunotherapy in RCC

Toni Choueiri, MD, director, Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, director, Kidney Cancer Center, Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses frontline trials of immunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

There is continued excitement for immunotherapy combinations as a frontline treatment option for patients with RCC, following the pivotal phase III findings of the JAVELIN Renal 101 study. Findings from this study showed that the combination of axitinib (Inlyta) and avelumab (Bavencio) demonstrated a significant improvement in objective response rates and progression-free survival compared with single-agent sunitinib (Sutent) in previously untreated patients with metastatic disease.

Currently, there are several other phase III trials ongoing, Choueiri says. One study is evaluating lenvatinib (Lenvima) in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), and is accruing well. Additionally, cabozantinib (Cabometyx) is being combined with checkpoint inhibitors in the frontline setting, Choueiri says. If positive, these combinations will add to a very crowded landscape, he adds.