Sequencing and Combination of Systemic Therapy in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.
Introduction of additional new agents targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has completely modified the systemic treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) during the last years.
A comprehensive (nonsystematic) review to determine the suggested sequence or combinations for the systemic treatment of mRCC.
PubMed and abstracts from main conferences up to December 2018 were reviewed to retrieve the current evidence for treatment of mRCC. Search terms included renal cell carcinoma, systemic therapy, targeted therapy (TT), and immunotherapy.
Marked advances in the treatment of mRCC have been made with novel VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors and multiple ICIs that have been included in the current treatment paradigm of mRCC. Remarkable advance has been made with the combination of double checkpoint blockade. The combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab compared with sunitinib has shown to increase the overall survival in the intermediate- and poor-risk patients based on the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) model.
Double checkpoint blockade with ipilimumab and nivolumab has reported overall survival benefit in IMDC intermediate- and poor-risk patients, providing a durable response for a subset of patients. VEGF inhibitors remain the standard of care for favorable-risk patients in the first line. In the immediate future, more consolidated data on combination of VEGF-TT plus ICIs may show similar robust benefit with different safety profiles.
Multiple drugs and sequences are now accepted as effective treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors has shown to increase the overall survival in treatment-naïve mRCC patients. Combinations of immunotherapy and antiangiogenics may be another option in the near future. Outcomes of the first line will determine the sequence, although the best sequence has yet to be defined.
de Velasco G
,Bex A
,Albiges L
,Powles T
,Rini BI
,Motzer RJ
,Heng DYC
,Escudier B
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《European Urology Oncology》
Checkpoint inhibitors in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: Results from the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium.
To the authors' knowledge, outcomes and prognostic tools have yet to be clearly defined in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who are treated with immuno-oncology (IO) checkpoint inhibitors (programmed death-ligand 1 [PD-L1] inhibitors). In the current study, the authors aimed to establish IO efficacy benchmarks in patients with mRCC and update patient outcomes in each International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) prognostic class.
A retrospective analysis was performed using the IMDC database with data from 38 centers. It included patients with mRCC who were treated with ≥1 line of IO. Overall response rates (ORRs), duration of treatment (DOT), and overall survival (OS) were calculated. Patients were stratified using IMDC prognostic factors.
A total of 687 patients (90% with clear cell and 10% with non-clear cell) were included. The ORR was 27% in evaluable patients (461 patients). In patients treated with first-line nivolumab and ipilimumab (49 patients), the combination of PD-L1 inhibitor and vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor (72 patients), and PD-L1 inhibitor (51 patients), the ORR was 31%, 39%, and 40%, respectively, and the median DOT was 8.3 months, 14.7 months, and 8.3 months, respectively. The ORR for second-line, third-line, and fourth-line nivolumab was 22%, 24%, and 26%, respectively. The median DOT was 5.7 months, 6.2 months, and 8.3 months, respectively, in the second-line, third-line, and fourth-line settings. When segregated into IMDC favorable-risk, intermediate-risk, and poor-risk groups, the median OS rates for the first-line, second-line, third-line, and fourth-line treatment settings were not reached (NR), NR, and NR, respectively (P = .163); NR, 26.7 months, and 7.4 months, respectively (P < 0. 0001); 36.1 months, 28.2 months, and 11.1 months, respectively (P = .016); and NR, NR, and 6.7 months, respectively (P = .047).
The ORR was not found to deteriorate from the first-line to the fourth-line of IO therapy. In the second line through fourth line, the IMDC criteria appropriately stratified patients into favorable-risk, intermediate-risk, and poor-risk groups for OS.
Yip SM
,Wells C
,Moreira R
,Wong A
,Srinivas S
,Beuselinck B
,Porta C
,Sim HW
,Ernst DS
,Rini BI
,Yuasa T
,Basappa NS
,Kanesvaran R
,Wood LA
,Canil C
,Kapoor A
,Fu SYF
,Choueiri TK
,Heng DYC
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《-》
Efficacy of VEGFR-TKIs plus immune checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients with favorable IMDC prognosis.
Combinations of PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) with VEGFR-TKIs as first-line therapy significantly improve outcomes of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients. The benefit of these combinations is well evident in the IMDC intermediate- and poor-risk population, but remains unclear in the subgroup of patients with favorable prognosis. Our meta-analysis aims at evaluating whether the addition of ICIs to VEGFR-TKIs is able to improve the outcome compared to VEGFR-TKIs alone in mRCC patients with favorable prognosis.
This meta-analysis searched MEDLINE/PubMed, the Cochrane Library and ASCO Meeting abstracts for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) testing the combination of VEGFR-TKI + ICI in mRCC. Data extraction was conducted according to the PRISMA statement. Summary hazard ratio (HR) was calculated using random- or fixed-effects models, depending on studies heterogeneity.
Four RCTs were selected. VEGFR-TKI + ICI combinations improved PFS compared to sunitinib (fixed-effect, HR = 0.63; p < 0.00001). However, VEGFR-TKI + ICI combinations did not significantly prolong OS (fixed-effect; HR = 0.99; 95% CI 0.74-1.33; p = 0.95).
VEGFR-TKI + ICI combinations improved PFS but not OS as first-line therapy for mRCC patients with favorable IMDC prognosis. Longer follow-up and further studies will increase the power of our analysis, suggesting the best first-line therapy for mRCC patients with favorable prognosis.
Ciccarese C
,Iacovelli R
,Porta C
,Procopio G
,Bria E
,Astore S
,Cannella MA
,Tortora G
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《-》
Combination antiangiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibition and anti-PD1 immunotherapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: A retrospective analysis of safety, tolerance, and clinical outcomes.
Two separate antiangiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immunotherapy (IO) combinations are FDA-approved as front-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Little is known about off-protocol and post-front-line experience with combination TKI-IO approaches.
We conducted a retrospective analysis of mRCC patients who received combination TKI-IO post-first-line therapy between November 2015 and January 2019 at MD Anderson Cancer Center and Duke Cancer Institute. Chart review detailed patient characteristics, treatments, toxicity, and survival. Independent radiologists, blinded to clinical data, assessed best radiographic response using RECIST v1.1.
We identified 48 mRCC patients for inclusion: median age 65 years, 75.0% clear cell histology, 68.8% IMDC intermediate risk, and median two prior systemic therapies. TKI-IO combinations included nivolumab-cabozantinib (N +C; 24 patients), nivolumab-pazopanib (N+P; 13), nivolumab-axitinib (6), nivolumab-lenvatinib (2), and nivolumab-ipilimumab-cabozantinib (3). The median progression-free survival was 11.6 months and the median overall survival was not reached. Response data were available in 45 patients: complete response (CR; n = 3, 6.7%), partial response (PR; 20, 44.4%), stable disease (SD; 19, 42.2%), and progressive disease (3, 6.7%). Overall response rate was 51% and disease control rate (CR+PR+SD) was 93%. Only one patient had a grade ≥3 adverse event.
To our knowledge, this is the first case series reporting off-label use of combination TKI-IO for mRCC. TKI-IO combinations, particularly N+P and N+C, are well tolerated and efficacious. Although further prospective research is essential, slow disease progression on IO or TKI monotherapy may be safely controlled with addition of either TKI or IO.
Laccetti AL
,Garmezy B
,Xiao L
,Economides M
,Venkatesan A
,Gao J
,Jonasch E
,Corn P
,Zurita-Saavedra A
,Brown LC
,Kao C
,Kinsey EN
,Gupta RT
,Harrison MR
,Armstrong AJ
,George DJ
,Tannir N
,Msaouel P
,Shah A
,Zhang T
,Campbell MT
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《Cancer Medicine》