Recent innovations in systemic therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) have occurred at a break-neck pace. In the 1980s, nontargeted cytokine-mediated immunotherapy was the systemic therapy of choice. Based on improvements in tolerability and patient outcomes, targeted antiangiogenic agents supplanted cytokines in the early 2000s. During the last decade, the most recent innovation has come in the form of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), a form of immunotherapy that enhances immune-mediated tumor cell destruction. ICIs improve on all prior iterations of systemic therapies and have become the first-line therapy for many mRCC indications. ICIs have been shown to increase overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and complete response rate (CRR) in mRCC patients. We reviewed the recent trends associated with ICI management of mRCC, their immune-related adverse events, and cost implications.
Urologic oncology. 2021 Jul 23 [Epub ahead of print]
Ami Rambhia, Rutul D Patel, Kennedy E Okhawere, Talia G Korn, Ketan K Badani
Department of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY., Department of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY. Electronic address: .