Pembrolizumab (pembro) plus axitinib (axi) versus sunitinib as first-line therapy for advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC): Analysis of progression after first subsequent therapy in KEYNOTE-426.

Authors

null

Thomas Powles

Barts Health NHS Trust and the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, Barts Cancer Institute, and Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom

Thomas Powles , Elizabeth R. Plimack , Viktor Stus , Tom Waddell , Rustem Gafanov , Frédéric Pouliot , Dmitry Nosov , Bohuslav Melichar , Denis Soulieres , Delphine Borchiellini , Ihor Vynnychenko , Raymond S. McDermott , Sergio Jobim Azevedo , Satoshi Tamada , Anna Kryzhanivska , Chenxiang Li , Joseph E. Burgents , L. Rhoda Molife , Brian I. Rini , Jens Bedke

Organizations

Barts Health NHS Trust and the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, Barts Cancer Institute, and Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, Dnipro State Medical University, Dnipro, Ukraine, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom, Russian Scientific Center of Roentgenoradiology, Moscow, Russian Federation, CHU of Québec and Laval University, Québec City, ON, Canada, Central Clinical Hospital With Outpatient Clinic, Moscow, Russian Federation, Palacky University Medical School and Teaching Hospital, Olomouc, Czech Republic, Centre Hospitalier de l’Universitaire de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada, Centre Antoine Lacassagne, Université Côte d’Azur, Nice, France, Sumy State University, Sumy Regional Oncology Center, Sumy, Ukraine, Adelaide and Meath Hospital and University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil, Bell Land General Hospital, Osaka, Japan, Ivanko-Frankivsk National Medical University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, MSD UK, London, United Kingdom, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

Research Funding

Pharmaceutical/Biotech Company

Background: The randomized, open-label, phase 3 KEYNOTE-426 study (NCT02853331) met its primary and key secondary end points of improved OS, PFS, and ORR with pembro + axi versus sunitinib as first-line treatment for patients with advanced ccRCC. Extended follow-up (42.8-mo median follow-up) continued to show the superior efficacy of pembro + axi versus sunitinib in this patient population. We describe the results of PFS2 for all randomly assigned patients and across IMDC risk categories. Methods: Treatment-naive patients with advanced ccRCC, Karnofsky Performance Status Scale score ≥70% and measurable disease per RECIST v1.1 were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive pembro 200 mg IV every 3 weeks for up to 35 doses (̃2 y) + axi 5 mg orally twice daily or sunitinib 50 mg orally once daily on a 4-wk on/2-wk off schedule. The end point of this exploratory analysis was PFS2, defined as time from randomization to progression after first subsequent therapy or any-cause death. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate PFS2 and hazard ratios were estimated using a Cox regression model. Results: Of 861 patients, 432 were assigned to receive pembro + axi; 429, to sunitinib. Median time from randomization to the database cutoff date (January 11, 2021) was 42.8 mo (range, 35.6-50.6). Overall, 47.2% of patients (204/432) in the pembro + axi arm and 65.5% of patients (281/429) in the sunitinib arm received ≥1 line of subsequent anticancer therapy. For patients who received subsequent therapy, anti–PD-1/PD-L1 agents were the first subsequent treatment for 11.3% of patients (23/204) in the pembro + axi arm and 54.8% of patients (154/281) in the sunitinib arm. In the pembro + axi arm, 82.8% of patients (169/204) received a VEGF/VEGFR inhibitor as first subsequent therapy, as did 43.4% (122/281) in the sunitinib arm. PFS2 results are displayed in the Table. Conclusions: In this exploratory analysis, PFS2 was longer for patients randomized to pembro + axi compared to sunitinib. Results were consistent across IMDC risk groups. These data support use of pembro + axi for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced ccRCC. Clinical trial information: NCT02853331.


ITT
IMDC favorable risk
IMDC intermediate/poor risk
Pembro + axi
N = 432
Sunitinib
N = 429
Pembro + axi
n = 138
Sunitinib
n = 131
Pembro + axi
n = 294
Sunitinib
n = 298
Received ≥1 line of subsequent anticancer therapy, n (%)
204 (47.2)
281 (65.5)
64 (46.4)
87 (66.4)
140 (47.6)
194 (65.1)
Median (95% CI) PFS2, mo
40.1 (34.9–43.8)
27.7 (23.1–29.9)
46.0 (43.8 to NR)
39.9 (33.5 to NR)
32.1 (27.9–39.3)
20.1 (15.9–25.1)
HR (95% CI)
0.63 (0.53–0.75)

0.68 (0.47–0.98)

0.62 (0.51–0.76)

Disclaimer

This material on this page is ©2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology, all rights reserved. Licensing available upon request. For more information, please contact licensing@asco.org

Abstract Details

Meeting

2022 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Poster Discussion Session

Session Title

Genitourinary Cancer—Kidney and Bladder

Track

Genitourinary Cancer—Kidney and Bladder

Sub Track

Kidney Cancer

Clinical Trial Registration Number

NCT02853331

Citation

J Clin Oncol 40, 2022 (suppl 16; abstr 4513)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2022.40.16_suppl.4513

Abstract #

4513

Poster Bd #

5

Abstract Disclosures

Similar Abstracts

First Author: Elizabeth R. Plimack

First Author: Manish A. Shah