Dr George on the Efficacy and Safety of Subcutaneous Nivolumab in ccRCC

Saby George, MD, FACP, professor, oncology, medicine, director, Network Clinical Trials, Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and associate professor, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, discusses the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous nivolumab (Opdivo) in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), according to findings from the phase 3 CheckMate 67T (NCT04810078) study.

The multicenter, randomized, open-label, study compared the pharmacokinetics (PK) and objective response rate (ORR) of subcutaneous vs intravenous (IV) nivolumab administration in patients with locally advanced or metastatic ccRCC who had progressed during or after 1 to 2 prior systemic regimens.

 showed that the study met its co-primary PK end points of noninferior time-averaged serum concentration over the first 28 days and minimum serum concentration at steady state with subcutaneous vs IV nivolumab, George reports. The study also met its key powered secondary end point of ORR, with a response rate of 24.2% (95% CI, 19.0%-30.0%) for subcutaneous nivolumab vs 18.2% (95% CI, 13.6%-23.6%) for intravenous nivolumab, he adds. 

Safety profiles were similar between the approaches, with no significant safety concerns observed, George continues. Although a higher percentage of patients developed anti-drug antibodies with subcutaneous administration, efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetic parameters were not impacted. Notably, the median administration time for subcutaneous nivolumab was significantly shorter, at 5 minutes (range, 0-15) or less compared with 30 minutes (range, 6-133) for intravenous administration.

Overall, these data support the use of subcutaneous nivolumab as an alternative administration option to improve healthcare efficiency. This streamlined administration process could greatly reduce treatment burden on patients by allowing for easier access to treatment, George says. Additionally, subcutaneous administration offers the advantage of potentially being administered in remote areas or smaller healthcare settings, bypassing the need for large infusion centers, George concludes.

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Saby George, MD, FACP, discusses the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous nivolumab in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma, according to findings from the phase 3 CheckMate 67T study.

Dr Kaakour on the Rationale For Evaluating Genomic Testing Patterns in Prostate Cancer

Dalia Kaakour, MD, first-year-fellow, hematology/oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, discusses findings from a survey on genomic testing patterns that was conducted in a real-world population of patients with prostate cancer, which were presented at the 

This study is part of a broader initiative that involves the creation and distribution of a comprehensive survey to various health care providers, Kaakour begins. These include medical oncologists, urologic oncologists, radiation oncologists, and advanced care providers working in the medical, urological, and radiation oncology settings. The primary aim of this initiative is to investigate disparities in prostate cancer care, covering aspects of the care plan such as the initial biopsy, treatment, genomic testing, and more, she explains. This study zooms in on the field of prostate cancer management to examine patterns of genomic testing, drawing comparisons between different provider groups and distinguishing practice patternsbetween academic and community settings, Kaakour elucidates.

A total of 47 survey responses were collected, wherein 28 (59.6%), 10 (21.3%), 2 (4.3%), 4 (8.5%), and 3 (6.4%) health care providers identified themselves as medical oncologists, urologists, radiation oncologists, advanced practitioners, and other, respectively. Among the respondents, 11 (23.4%) were affiliated with academic oncology, 17 (36.2%) were affiliatedwith community oncology, 8 (17.0%) were affiliated with academic urology, and 2 (4.6%) were affiliated with community urology.

Although the study has garnered responses to date, it is still ongoing, and Kaakour encourages all eligible providers to participate in the survey. Preliminary findings, based on the limited data available, indicate that providers in academic settings are more inclined to initiate genomic testing at an earlier disease stage compared with their counterparts in the community setting, she expands. Additionally, medical oncologists, whether in academic or community practices, seem to order genomic testing more frequently than urologic oncologists, Kaakour concludes.

Dalia Kaakour, MD, discusses real-world findings on genomic testing patterns in patients with prostate cancer.

Dalia Kaakour, MD

Articles

Dr George on the Efficacy and Safety of Subcutaneous Nivolumab in ccRCC

Dr Kaakour on the Rationale For Evaluating Genomic Testing Patterns in Prostate Cancer