Dr. Van Veldhuizen on the Combination of Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab in Kidney Cancer

Peter J. Van Veldhuizen, MD, hematologist/oncologist, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the frontline combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and bevacizumab (Avastin) in the treatment of patients with kidney cancer.

The rationale behind the combination of bevacizumab and atezolizumab is bevacizumab’s potential synergistic effects with immunotherapy. Even though these agents are administered intravenously, they are fairly well tolerated, says Van Veldhuizen. There is good rationale and science to support the combination in the hope of enhancing the immune response.

Data from the phase III IMmotion151 study revealed that the combination reduced the risk of progression or death by 26% compared with sunitinib (Sutent) for patients with untreated PD-L1—positive metastatic renal cell carcincoma.

Physicians are seeing more of these combinations improve overall responses (OS), states Van Veldhuizen. It is difficult to predict where the combination will fall in the treatment paradigm, says Van Veldhuizen, but its FDA approval may provide physicians an alternative to the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy). Atezolizumab and bevacizumab would offer patients a frontline immunotherapy that may have some better tolerability, states Van Veldhuizen.