ESMO 2021: Pembrolizumab Monotherapy as First-Line Therapy in Advanced Clear Cell RCC: Results After a Minimum of 41 Months of Follow-up From KEYNOTE-427 Cohort A

(UroToday.com) The European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2021 annual meeting’s non-prostate cancer session included a presentation by Dr. David McDermott discussing long-term outcomes in the KEYNOTE-427 Cohort A trial of pembrolizumab monotherapy for first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A number of combination therapies involving immune checkpoint inhibitors, including the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab, have shown antitumor activity as first-line treatment of advanced RCC. In the open-label, single-arm, phase II KEYNOTE-427 study (NCT02853344), first-line pembrolizumab monotherapy showed antitumor activity in patients with advanced clear cell RCC (cohort A).¹ At the 2021 ESMO congress, Dr. McDermott and colleagues presented updated efficacy and safety results after a minimum of 41 months of follow-up for patients with clear cell RCC.