Characterization of Responses to Lenvatinib plus Pembrolizumab in Patients with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma at the Final Prespecified Survival Analysis of the Phase 3 CLEAR Study.

In the phase 3 CLEAR trial, lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab (L + P) showed superior efficacy versus sunitinib in treatment-naïve patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC). The combination treatment was associated with a robust objective response rate of 71%. Here we report tumor responses for patients in the L + P arm in CLEAR, with median follow-up of ∼4 yr at the final prespecified overall survival (OS) analysis. Tumor responses were assessed by independent review using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors v1.1. Patients with a complete response (CR; n = 65), partial response (PR) with maximum tumor shrinkage ≥75% (near-CR; n = 59), or PR with maximum tumor shrinkage <75% (other PR; n = 129), were characterized in terms of their baseline characteristics. The median duration of response was 43.7 mo (95% confidence interval [CI] 39.2-not estimable) for the CR group, 30.5 mo (95% CI 22.4-not estimable) for the near-CR group, and 17.2 mo (95% CI 12.5-21.4) for the other PR group. The 36-mo OS rates were consistently high in the CR (97%), near-CR (86%), and other PR (62%) groups. Robust objective response rates were observed across International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium favorable-risk (69%, 95% CI 60-78%), intermediate-risk (73%, 95% CI 67-79%), and poor-risk (70%, 95% CI 54-85%) subgroups. The robust response to L + P supports this combination as a standard-of-care first-line treatment for patients with aRCC. PATIENT SUMMARY: The CLEAR trial enrolled patients with advanced kidney cancer who had not previously received any treatment for their cancer. Here we report results for tumor shrinkage observed in the group that received lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab combination treatment during the trial. Shrinkage of target tumors with this combination was long-lasting and was observed in patients irrespective of their disease severity. This trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT02811861.

Association of Cabozantinib Dose Reductions for Toxicity With Clinical Effectiveness in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma (mRCC): Results From the Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System (CKCis).

BACKGROUND: Cabozantinib, an oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has demonstrated efficacy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The association between toxicity and therapeutic effectiveness has been established with other TKIs. We investigated whether cabozantinib dose reductions, a surrogate for toxicity and adequate drug exposure, were associated with improved clinical outcomes in mRCC. METHODS: Employing the CKCis database, we analyzed patients treated with cabozantinib in the second line or later between 2011 to 2021. The cohort was stratified into those needing dose reductions (DR) during treatment and those not (no-DR). Outcomes, including objective response rate (ORR), time to treatment failure (TTF), and overall survival (OS), were compared based on dose reduction status. The influence of the initial dose on outcomes was also explored. RESULTS: Among 319 cabozantinib-treated patients, 48.3% underwent dose reductions. Response rates exhibited no significant difference between the DR and no-DR groups (15.1% vs. 18.2%, P = .55). Patients with DR had superior median OS (26.15 vs. 15.47 months, P = .019) and TTF (12.74 vs. 6.44 months, P = .022) compared to no-DR patients. These differences retained significance following adjustment for IMDC risk group (OS HR = 0.67, P = .032; TTF HR = 0.65, P = .008). There was no association between the initial dose and ORR, OS, or TTF. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the link between cabozantinib dose reductions due to toxicity and improved survival and time to treatment failure in mRCC patients. These findings underscore the potential of using on-treatment toxicity as an indicator of adequate drug exposure to individualize dosing and optimize treatment effectiveness. Larger studies are warranted to validate these results and develop individualized strategies for cabozantinib when given alone or in combination with immunotherapy.

TimeTeller: A tool to probe the circadian clock as a multigene dynamical system.

Recent studies have established that the circadian clock influences onset, progression and therapeutic outcomes in a number of diseases including cancer and heart diseases. Therefore, there is a need for tools to measure the functional state of the molecular circadian clock and its downstream targets in patients. Moreover, the clock is a multi-dimensional stochastic oscillator and there are few tools for analysing it as a noisy multigene dynamical system. In this paper we consider the methodology behind TimeTeller, a machine learning tool that analyses the clock as a noisy multigene dynamical system and aims to estimate circadian clock function from a single transcriptome by modelling the multi-dimensional state of the clock. We demonstrate its potential for clock systems assessment by applying it to mouse, baboon and human microarray and RNA-seq data and show how to visualise and quantify the global structure of the clock, quantitatively stratify individual transcriptomic samples by clock dysfunction and globally compare clocks across individuals, conditions and tissues thus highlighting its potential relevance for advancing circadian medicine.

Real-world Assessment of Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma with or Without Sarcomatoid Features Treated with First-line Systemic Therapies.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients have been reported to have better outcomes when treated with immunotherapies (IO) compared to targeted therapies (TT). This study aims to evaluate the impact of first-line systemic therapies on survival of mRCC patients with or without sarcomatoid features using real-world data. METHODS: Metastatic RCC patients of International mRCC Database Consortium (IMDC) intermediate or high risk, diagnosed from January 2011 to December 2022, treated with first-line systemic therapies, and with histological documentation of the presence or absence of sarcomatoid features in nephrectomy specimens were identified using the Canadian Kidney Cancer information system. Patients were classified by initial treatment: (1) targeted therapy (TT) used alone or (2) immunotherapy (IO)-based systemic therapies used in combination of either IO-IO or IO-TT. The inverse probability of treatment weighting using propensity scores was used to balance for covariates. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the impact of initial treatment received on overall survival (OS). KEY FINDINGS AND LIMITATIONS: Of the 1202 eligible patients, 791 were treated with TT and 411 with IO combinations. Of the patients, 76% were male, and the majority (91%) had a nephrectomy before systemic therapy. In nonsarcomatoid patients (639 TT and 320 IO patients), treatment with IO was associated with improved OS compared with patients treated with TT (median of 72 vs 48 mo, hazard ratio [HR] 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.50-0.80, objective response rate [ORR] of 38.5% for IO and 23.5% for TT). In sarcomatoid patients (152 TT and 91 IO patients), treatment with IO was associated with improved OS (median of 48 vs 18 mo, HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.26-0.64, ORR of 49.5% for IO and 13.8% for TT). Similar results were observed in patients with synchronous metastatic disease only. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: IO treatment was associated with improved survival in mRCC patients. The magnitude of benefit is increased in patients with sarcomatoid mRCC, consequently, identifying the sarcomatoid status early on could help healthcare providers make a better treatment decision. PATIENT SUMMARY: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients of International mRCC Database Consortium intermediate and high risk, diagnosed from January 2011 to December 2022, treated with first-line systemic therapies, and with histological documentation of the presence or absence of sarcomatoid features in nephrectomy specimens were identified using the Canadian Kidney Cancer information system (CKCis). In this study, treatment with immunotherapy was associated to an improved survival and response rates for mRCC patients with and without sarcomatoid features. The magnitude of benefit is increased in patients with sarcomatoid mRCC.

Trends of Utilization of Systemic Therapies for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma in the Canadian Health Care System.

PURPOSE: Standard-of-care therapies for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) have greatly evolved. However, the availability of emerging options in global health care systems can vary. We sought to describe the integration and usage of systemic therapies for mRCC in Canada since 2011. METHODS: We included patients with mRCC enrolled in the Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System, a prospective cohort of patients from 14 Canadian academic centers, who received systemic therapy from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2021. Patients were stratified by treatment era (cohort 1: 2011-2015, cohort 2: 2016-2021). Stacked bar charts were used to present treatment proportions; Sankey diagrams were used to show the evolution of treatment sequencing between the two cohorts. RESULTS: Four thousand one hundred seven patients were diagnosed with mRCC, of whom 2,752 (67%) received systemic therapy. Among these patients, mean age was 64 years, 74% were male, 75% had clear cell histology, and International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium risk classification was favorable, intermediate, and poor in 16%, 56%, and 28%, respectively. Utilization of immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI)-based treatments has increased in Canada and reflects global and local patterns of approval and adoption. The use of therapies after doublet ICI has mostly shifted toward vascular endothelial growth factor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGF-TKIs) that were previously used in first line with subsequent treatments reflecting approved and available agents after previous VEGF-TKI. Clinical trial participation among patients who received systemic therapy was 18% in first, 21% in second, and 24% in third line. CONCLUSION: In Canada's publicly funded health care system, availability of standard mRCC therapies broadly reflects access from government-funded clinical trials and compassionate access program sources. In an evolving therapeutic landscape, ongoing advocacy is required to continue to facilitate patient access to efficacious therapies.

Efficacy and safety of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab vs sunitinib in the East Asian subset of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma from the CLEAR trial.

In the CLEAR trial, lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab met study endpoints of superiority vs sunitinib in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. We report the efficacy and safety results of the East Asian subset (ie, patients in Japan and the Republic of Korea) from the CLEAR trial. Of 1069 patients randomly assigned to receive either lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab, lenvatinib plus everolimus or sunitinib, 213 (20.0%) were from East Asia. Baseline characteristics of patients in the East Asian subset were generally comparable with those of the global trial population. In the East Asian subset, progression-free survival was considerably longer with lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab vs sunitinib (median 22.1 vs 11.1 months; HR 0.38; 95% CI: 0.23-0.62). The HR for overall survival comparing lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab vs sunitinib was 0.71; 95% CI: 0.30-1.71. The objective response rate was higher with lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab vs sunitinib (65.3% vs 49.2%; odds ratio 2.14; 95% CI: 1.07-4.28). Dose reductions due to treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) commonly associated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors occurred more frequently than in the global population. Hand-foot syndrome was the most frequent any-grade TEAE with lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab (66.7%) and sunitinib (57.8%), a higher incidence compared to the global population (28.7% and 37.4%, respectively). The most common grade 3 to 5 TEAEs were hypertension with lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab (20%) and decreased platelet count with sunitinib (21.9%). Efficacy and safety for patients in the East Asian subset were generally similar to those of the global population, except as noted.

Adjuvant therapy for renal cell carcinoma: 2023 Canadian Kidney Cancer Forum consensus statement.

INTRODUCTION: Several recent randomized trials evaluated the impact of adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapy on post-surgical outcomes in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), with disparate results. The objective of this consensus statement is to provide data-driven guidance regarding the use of ICIs after complete resection of clear-cell RCC in a Canadian context. METHODS: An expert panel of genitourinary medical oncologists, urologic oncologists, and radiation oncologists with expertise in RCC management was convened in a dedicated session during the 2022 Canadian Kidney Cancer Forum in Toronto, Canada. Topic statements on the management of patients after surgery for RCC, including counselling, risk stratification, indications for medical oncology referral, appropriate followup, eligibility and management for adjuvant ICIs, as well as treatment options for patients with recurrence who received adjuvant immunotherapy, were discussed. Participants were asked to vote if they agreed or disagreed with each statement. Consensus was achieved if greater than 75% of participants agreed with the topic statement. RESULTS: A total of 22 RCC experts voted on 14 statements. Consensus was achieved on all topic statements. The panel felt patients with clear-cell RCC at increased risk of recurrence after surgery, as per the Keynote-564 group definitions, should be counselled about recurrence risk by a urologist, should be informed about the potential role of adjuvant ICI systemic therapy, and be offered referral to discuss risks and benefits with a medical oncologist. The panel felt that one year of pembrolizumab is currently the only regimen that should be considered if adjuvant therapy is selected. Panelists emphasized current opinions are based on disease-free survival given the available results. Significant uncertainty regarding the benefit and harms of adjuvant therapy remains, primarily due to a lack of consistent benefit observed across similar trials of adjuvant ICI-based therapies and immature overall survival (OS) data. CONCLUSIONS: This consensus document provides guidance from Canadian RCC experts regarding the potential role of ICI-based adjuvant systemic therapy after surgery. This rapidly evolving field requires frequent evidence-based re-evaluation.

Overall Survival and Updated Results for Sunitinib Compared With Interferon Alfa in Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: A randomized, phase III trial demonstrated superiority of sunitinib over interferon alfa (IFN-α) in progression-free survival (primary end point) as first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Final survival analyses and updated results are reported. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seven hundred fifty treatment-naïve patients with metastatic clear cell RCC were randomly assigned to sunitinib 50 mg orally once daily on a 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off dosing schedule or to IFN-α 9 MU subcutaneously thrice weekly. Overall survival was compared by two-sided log-rank and Wilcoxon tests. Progression-free survival, response, and safety end points were assessed with updated follow-up. RESULTS: Median overall survival was greater in the sunitinib group than in the IFN-α group (26.4 v 21.8 months, respectively; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.821; 95% CI, 0.673 to 1.001; P = .051) per the primary analysis of unstratified log-rank test (P = .013 per unstratified Wilcoxon test). By stratified log-rank test, the HR was 0.818 (95% CI, 0.669 to 0.999; P = .049). Within the IFN-α group, 33% of patients received sunitinib, and 32% received other vascular endothelial growth factor-signaling inhibitors after discontinuation from the trial. Median progression-free survival was 11 months for sunitinib compared with 5 months for IFN-α (P < .001). Objective response rate was 47% for sunitinib compared with 12% for IFN-α (P < .001). The most commonly reported sunitinib-related grade 3 adverse events included hypertension (12%), fatigue (11%), diarrhea (9%), and hand-foot syndrome (9%). CONCLUSION: Sunitinib demonstrates longer overall survival compared with IFN-α plus improvement in response and progression-free survival in the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic RCC. The overall survival highlights an improved prognosis in patients with RCC in the era of targeted therapy.

Erratum to: Extended Disease Control with Unconventional Cabozantinib Dose Increase in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3233/KCA-210117.].

Outcomes for International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium Prognostic Groups in Contemporary First-line Combination Therapies for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The combination of immuno-oncology (IO) agents ipilimumab and nivolumab (IPI-NIVO) and vascular endothelial growth factor targeted therapies (VEGF-TT) combined with IO (IO-VEGF) are current standard of care first-line treatments for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). OBJECTIVE: To establish real-world clinical benchmarks for IO combination therapies based on the International mRCC Database Consortium (IMDC) criteria. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients with mRCC who received first-line IPI-NIVO, IO-VEGF, or VEGF-TT from 2002 to 2021 were identified using the IMDC database and stratified according to IMDC risk groups. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Overall survival (OS), time to next treatment (TTNT), and treatment duration (TD) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared between IMDC risk groups within each treatment cohort by the log-rank test. The overall response rate (ORR) was calculated by physician assessment of the best overall response. The primary outcome was OS at 18 mo. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: In total, 728 patients received IPI-NIVO, 282 IO-VEGF, and 7163 VEGF-TT. The median follow-up times for patients remaining alive were 14.3 mo for IPI-NIVO, 14.9 mo IO-VEGF, and 34.4 mo for VEGF-TT. OS at 18 mo for favorable, intermediate, and poor risk was, respectively, 90%, 78%, and 50% for those receiving IPI-NIVO; 93%, 83%, and 74% for IO-VEGF; and 84%, 64%, and 28% for VEGF-TT. ORRs in favorable-, intermediate-, and poor-risk groups were 41.3%, 40.6%, and 33.0% for those receiving IPI-NIVO; 60.3%, 56.8%, and 40.9% for IO-VEGF; and 39.3%, 33.5%, and 20.9% for VEGF-TT, respectively. The IMDC model stratified patients into statistically distinct risk groups for the three endpoints of OS, TTNT, and TD within each treatment cohort. Limitations of this study were the retrospective design and short follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the IMDC model continues to risk stratify patients with mRCC treated with contemporary first-line IO combination therapies and provided real-world survival benchmarks. PATIENT SUMMARY: The International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium model continues to stratify patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma receiving modern combination treatments in the real-world setting.

Evaluating the impact of early identification of asymptomatic brain metastases in metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Brain metastases (BM) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) have been reported to be present in up to 25% of patients diagnosed with mRCC. There is limited published literature evaluating the role of routine intra-cranial imaging for the screening of asymptomatic BM in mRCC. AIMS: To evaluate the potential utility of routine intra-cranial imaging, a retrospective cohort study was conducted to characterize the outcomes of mRCC patients who presented with asymptomatic BM, as compared to symptomatic BM. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System (CKCis) database was used to identify mRCC patients diagnosed with BM. This cohort was divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of BM symptoms. Details regarding patient demographics, disease characteristics, systemic treatments, BM characteristics and survival outcomes were extracted. Statistical analysis was through chi-square tests, analysis of variance, and Kaplan-Meier method to characterize survival outcomes. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant for all analyses. A total of 267 mRCC patients with BM were identified of which 106 (40%) presented with asymptomatic disease. The majority of patients presented with multiple (i.e., >1) BM (75%) with no significant differences noted in number of BM or BM-directed therapy received in symptomatic, as compared to asymptomatic BM patients. Median [95% confidence interval (CI)] overall survival (OS) from mRCC diagnosis was 42 months (95% CI: 32-62) for patients with asymptomatic BM, and 39 months (95% CI: 29-48) with symptomatic BM (p = 0.10). OS from time of BM diagnosis was 28 months (95% CI: 18-42) for the asymptomatic BM group, as compared to 13 months (95% CI: 10-21) in the symptomatic BM group (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Given a substantial proportion of patients may present with asymptomatic BM, limiting intra-cranial imaging to patients with symptomatic BM, may be associated with a missed opportunity for timely diagnosis and treatment. The utility of routine intra-cranial imaging in patients with renal cell carcinoma, warrants further prospective evaluation.

Cabozantinib after prior checkpoint inhibitor therapy in patients with solid tumors: A systematic literature review.

INTRODUCTION: We conducted a systematic literature review to identify evidence for cabozantinib activity in patients with solid tumors after prior checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapy. METHODS: The review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines and registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021259873). MEDLINE®, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched on 19 May 2021 to identify publications reporting the efficacy/effectiveness and safety/tolerability of cabozantinib in patients with solid tumors who had received prior CPI-based therapy. Publications were screened by one reviewer with uncertainties resolved by a second and/or the full author group. Risk of bias was assessed using Gradingof Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) for clinical trials and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for observational studies. RESULTS: Of 669 publications screened, 21 were eligible: 18 reported data on renal cell carcinoma, and one each for hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic urothelial carcinoma, and non-small cell lung cancer. Of six trial publications, three reported moderate-quality evidence and three low-quality evidence. Of 15 observational studies, NOS scores ranged from 3 to 6, suggesting a high potential for uncertainty. The studies consistently reported clinical activity for cabozantinib after CPI therapy, across treatment lines and tumor types, with no new safety signals. The findings were limited by the quality and quantity of available data. CONCLUSION: Cabozantinib appears to have anti-tumor activity after prior CPI therapy in patients with solid tumors. Our results are driven largely by studies in renal cell carcinoma. Evidence from ongoing phase 3 trials is required to establish further the role of cabozantinib after CPI therapy.

Outcomes of Radiation Therapy Plus Immunotherapy in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Results From the Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System.

Purpose: With the integration of immunotherapy (IO) agents in the management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), there has been interest in the combined use with radiation therapy (RT). However, real world data are limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes in patients with mRCC receiving both RT and IO compared with IO alone. Methods and Materials: Data were collected from Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System from January 2011 to September 2019 across 14 academic centers. Patients with mRCC who received IO as first- or second-line therapy were included. RT was categorized as radical dose or palliative dose. Kaplan-Meier estimates were reported for overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure. Cox proportional hazard models were used adjusted for age and International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium risk categories. Results: In total, 505 patients were included in the study: 179 received RT + IO and 326 received IO alone. Two-year OS for the RT + IO group was 55.0% compared with 66.4% in the IO alone cohort (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.38; P = .07). At 2 years, 12.2% of the RT + IO patients remained on therapy versus 30.9% in the IO alone group (aHR, 1.30; P = .02). For patients receiving first-line therapy, 2-year OS in the RT + IO group was 56.4% versus 78.4% in the IO alone arm, though this difference was not statistically significant (aHR, 1.23; P = .56). For patients receiving radical dose and palliative dose, 2-year OS was 57.0% and 53.9%, respectively (aHR, 0.86; P = .63). Conclusions: In this descriptive analysis, more than one-third of patients with mRCC received RT and demonstrated inferior outcomes compared with IO alone. Potential explanations include greater presence of adverse metastatic sites in those receiving RT. Prospective clinical trials evaluating potential benefits of RT in an IO era remain an important need.

Outcomes of patients with advanced non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma treated with first-line immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have demonstrated impressive activity in metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and have become standard treatment options for patients with advanced disease. Data supporting the effectiveness of ICI-based therapy in advanced non-clear cell RCC (nccRCC) is more limited. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis using the International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) to evaluate the outcomes of patients with advanced nccRCC. Patients were classified into three groups based on first-line therapy: ICI-based therapy (monotherapy or combination), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor monotherapy, or mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor monotherapy. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Secondary outcomes were time to treatment failure (TTF) and objective response rate (ORR). We used the Kaplan-Meier method to compare OS and TTF between treatment groups and Cox proportional hazards models to adjust for prognostic covariates. RESULTS: We identified a total of 1145 patients with metastatic nccRCC. The most common subtype was papillary RCC (54.9%). For first-line therapy, 74.3% received VEGF monotherapy, 15% received mTOR monotherapy, and 10.7% received ICI-based therapy. Median OS in the ICI group was 28.6 months, versus 16.4 months in the VEGF group and 12.2 months in the mTOR group. Median TTF in the ICI group was 6.9 months, versus 5.0 months in the VEGF group and 3.9 months in the mTOR group. ORR was 27.2% in the ICI group, 14.5% in the VEGF group, and 9% in the mTOR group. After adjusting for the IMDC risk group, histological subtype, and age, the hazard ratio for OS was 0.57 (95% CI 0.42-0.78, p < 0.0001) for ICI versus VEGF and 0.50 (95% CI 0.36-0.71, p < 0.0001) for ICI versus mTOR. CONCLUSIONS: In advanced nccRCC, first-line ICI-based treatment appears to be associated with improved OS compared to VEGF and mTOR targeted therapy. These results should be confirmed in prospective randomised trials.

Utilization and Safety of Ipilimumab Plus Nivolumab in a Real-World Cohort of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Ipilimumab plus nivolumab was associated with a survival benefit in a phase III clinical trial of first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). In this study, mRCC patients from the Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System (CKCis) database who received first-line ipilimumab plus nivolumab were analyzed to determine the safety and outcomes in a real-world setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who received ipilimumab plus nivolumab as first-line therapy for mRCC in CKCis, were identified, and the amount of treatment received, discontinuation rates, and reasons for discontinuing treatment were determined. Toxicity data, including type and grade, were collected. Efficacy outcomes of interest included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall response rate (ORR). RESULTS: The cohort included 195 patients, the majority with clear cell histology (74%). All 4 cycles of ipilimumab plus nivolumab were administered in 124 patients (64%). Progressive disease (n = 87; 45%) and toxicity (n = 36; 18%) were the most common causes for discontinuing treatment. Several patients (n = 18) did not receive all 4 doses of ipilimumab but received single agent nivolumab. The estimated median OS was 54.5 months (95% CI, 17.7 - NE) and 12-month OS was 72.2% (95% CI, 65.0 - 79.3). Median PFS was 7.4 months (95% CI 5.3 - 10.2) and ORR was 42.5%. Patients who received all 4 cycles of ipilimumab plus nivolumab had better ORR (50% vs. 28%) and a longer PFS and OS than those who received less than 4 cycles (P < .0001). Ninety-five AEs were documented in 72 patients who required dose reduction/change, with colitis being the most frequent. CONCLUSION: In this real-world cohort of treatment-naïve mRCC patients, outcomes, and safety were comparable to previously reported clinical trial data.

The Impact of Modifying Sunitinib Treatment Scheduling on Renal Cancer Tumor Biology and Resistance.

With sunitinib treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma, most patients end up developing resistance over time. Recent clinical trials have shown that individualizing treatment protocols could delay resistance and result in better outcomes. We developed an in vivo xenograft tumor model and compared tumor growth rate, morphological, and transcriptomic differences between alternative and traditional treatment schedules. Our results show that the alternative treatment regime could delay/postpone cancer progression. Additionally, we identified distinct morphological changes in the tumor with alternative and traditional treatments, likely due to the significantly dysregulated signaling pathways between the protocols. Further investigation of the signaling pathways underlying these morphological changes may lead potential therapeutic targets to be used in a combined treatment with sunitinib, which offers promise in postponing/reversing the resistance of sunitinib.

Outcomes of Cytoreductive Nephrectomy for Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Real World Data from Canadian Centers.

BACKGROUND: Treatment options for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) include cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) and systemic therapy (ST). Results from the CARMENA and SURTIME trials suggest that CN before ST may not be the optimal treatment strategy for mRCC. OBJECTIVE: To use real-world data to evaluate and compare outcomes for patients with mRCC who underwent CN before, after, or without ST to those patients who only received ST. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The Canadian Kidney Cancer information system (CKCis) database was used to identify patients diagnosed with mRCC between January 2011 and April 2020. Only patients with synchronous disease, treated within 12 mo from their initial RCC diagnosis, with International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium intermediate/high risk, and confirmed RCC histology were included. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Patients were classified into four groups according to the initial treatment received for mRCC. Inverse probability of treatment weighting using propensity scores was used to balance the treatment groups. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the impact of CN after adjusting for potential confounding variables in the weighted cohorts. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: A total of 788 patients were included in the study cohort. Of these 383 patients underwent CN before ST, 73 underwent CN after ST, 80 underwent CN only, and 252 patients received ST only. The median patient age was 63 yr and 73% of the cohort were men. In weighted analysis, the groups undergoing CN before ST (hazard ratio [HR] 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52-0.82) and CN after ST (HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.28-0.60) both had better survival compared to the ST only group. No survival benefit was observed for CN only compared to ST only, or for CN before ST compared to CN after ST. CONCLUSIONS: We evaluated the association between different sequences of treatment with CN and survival in patients with mRCC using CKCis real world data. The results demonstrate that the selected patients who undergo CN, whether performed before or after ST, have an associated improvement in survival. PATIENT SUMMARY: Two of the treatment options for metastatic kidney cancer are surgery and systemic therapy (chemotherapy or immunotherapy). We used data from the Canadian Kidney Cancer information system to determine whether there are differences in survival according to the sequencing of these treatments. Patients who had both surgery and systemic therapy, regardless of which treatment was first, had better survival than patients who only received systemic therapy.

ABCC2 expression in papillary renal cell carcinoma provides better prognostic stratification than WHO/ISUP nucleolar grade.

Papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) classification has traditionally been divided into two histologic types, type 1 and type 2. A new biological stratification system has recently been proposed based on comprehensive morphologic and genomic analysis. The predominant molecular marker in this 4-tiered stratification is the renal drug transporter ABCC2. In this study, we assessed and validated the value of the biological grouping in a PRCC cohort of 176 patients and provided a comprehensive assessment of clinicopathological variables. Tissue microarrays (TMAs) were constructed from nephrectomy specimens. The TMAs were stained with ABCC2 and GATA3 antibodies, and the PRCC cohort was stratified into four groups PRCC1-PRCC4: PRCC1 25%, PRCC2 37%, PRCC3 36%, and PRCC4 2%. PRCC1 demonstrated lower disease stage (p = 0.041) than PRCC2 and PRCC3. The biological stratification was significant on univariate analysis when analyzing both overall survival (p = 0.039) and disease-free survival (p = 0.011). The biological groups maintained the significance of predicting overall survival after adjusting for WHO/ISUP grade, age, pathological stage, and necrosis (p = 0.049, hazard ratio: 5.008, 95% confidence interval: 1.007 to 24.909). In contrast, WHO/ISUP grade did not maintain its significance on multivariate survival analysis. ABCC2 expression profile also separated cases ≤ 4 cm, based on disease-free survival (p = 0.038). None of the patients in the PRCC1 group died of disease during the follow-up period. The proposed biologic stratification adds molecular markers to the traditional morphologic assessment to better stratify patients' prognosis. ABCC2 expression can also potentially serve as a predictive biomarker owing to its known implication in cancer biology and drug resistance.