New Research Warrants Use of TKI/ICI Salvage Therapy in Metastatic RCC

Sarah P. Psutka, MD, a urologic oncologist and associate professor in the Department of Urology at the University of Washington Medical Center, discusses the key findings of a retrospective study of the efficacy of Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) plus tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) as any-line treatment for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

According to Psutka, there is relatively little data on ICI/TKI combination therapy as a salvage combination. The retrospective study found that the combination appears to be both safe and effective in the salvage setting, providing further support for the use of this combination.

Additionally, the benefit may be more pronounced in patients who have not been previously exposed to TKI’s, according to Psutka. While data should be evaluated in the context of the study’s design, the retrospective analysis is further evidence that this ICI/TKI strategy may be useful in the salvage setting for patients with metastatic RCC, says Psutka.

0:08 | Well, this work again, it's a small, retrospective cohort study. It is one of the larger studies that has been presented. There is relatively limited data regarding salvage combination, ICI, TKI therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma. We did include all histology, so this was not all clear cell patients. But what we noted was that ICI-TKI therapy appears to be both effective and safe in the salvage setting, it provides further data to support the use of these combination therapies. And it seems to be potentially more useful in patients who have not previously been exposed to TKI's. Of course, the data has to be evaluated within the context of the limitations of the study design, including the fact it is a retrospective analysis and the relatively modest sample size. However, it provides further evidence that this strategy utilizing combination IO-TKI therapy may have utility in the salvage setting for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, and it certainly warrants further evaluation and investigation.