Is There a Role for Adjuvant Immunotherapy in High-Risk Resected Renal Cell Carcinoma?

Patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and high-risk features who undergo partial or radical nephrectomy with curative intent have a significant (40%–50%) chance of systemic failure. Based on findings of improved disease-free survival (DFS) from the KEYNOTE-564 trial, the FDA approved pembrolizumab for adjuvant therapy in patients at intermediate-high or high risk for recurrence.

Now, investigators report findings from CheckMate 914, an industry-sponsored, international, double-blind, phase 3 trial of adjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab (nivo/ipi) versus placebo. Following partial or radical nephrectomy, 816 patients without evidence of metastatic disease (stage pT2a [grade III–IV], pT2b, pT3, pT4, pTNIM0 [any grade]) were randomized to rec…