Dr. Figlin on the Evolving Treatment Landscape of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Robert A. Figlin, MD, Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology Oncology, director, Division of Hematology/Oncology, deputy director, Integrated Oncology Service Line, and professor of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, discusses the evolving treatment landscape of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

It is important to recognize that what followed the 2000s was the immuno-oncology era, says Figlin. Immuno-oncology agents, such as nivolumab (Opdivo), ipilimumab (Yervoy), atezolizumab (Tecentriq), and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) were approved for the treatment of patients with RCC. Now, combinations of targeted agents plus immuno-oncology drugs are being explored, and these approaches appear to show activity that is at least equal to, but possibly better than, immuno-oncology drugs given in combination, says Figlin.

Some of these combinations are approved for use in the frontline setting for patients with RCC and have changed the landscape, and the hope is that these approaches will result in a number of patients obtaining treatment-free intervals and potentially a cure, adds Figlin. However, longer follow-up of these patients is needed to confirm if such is the case, concludes Figlin.