A new pooled data analysis of the frontline treatments for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has just been completed. It demonstrated that there is a difference in overall survival for patients taking immunotherapy with sutent. Specifically, favorable risk patients do not show improvement with this therapy combination, however, intermediate or poor-risk patients did improve in regard to overall survival.

That said, the studies are still conducting follow-up on each patient. Therefore, these results are subject to change and are still considered exploratory.

Phase 3 Clinical Trials

There were a total of four Phase 3 trials including 3,447 participants. One trial studied the combination of two immunotherapies. The other three studied immunotherapy in combination with anti-VGF therapy.

Risk was first assessed using the IMDC risk model. To assess overall survival Kaplan-Meier, as well as cox Proportional Hazards, were used.

A total of 422 individuals were in the group considered favorable risk and given the immunotherapy combination. The other 404 patients in this group were given sutent. The first group of patients had a death rate of 22% compared to 23% in the second group. Median overall survival wasn’t reached in either group.

A total of 1,308 patients were in the intermediate or poor-risk group and given the immunotherapy combination. 1,313 were also in this group but given sutent. In the first group, the death rate was 40.8%, and in the second group it was 50.9%. Median overall survival for the first group was 46.8 months and in the second group was 29.3 months.

These results show that the outcomes tend to be consistent for the anti-VEGF therapy. However, these results are varied depending on the risk for the immunotherapy combination.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a large number of favorable-risk patients in this study which means more research is necessary.

You can read more about this study and what it could mean for the future here.