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Review
. 2023 Dec 31;19(1):2178217.
doi: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2178217. Epub 2023 Feb 12.

The emerging landscape of neo/adjuvant immunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma

Pooya Dibajnia  1 , Luisa M Cardenas  1 , Aly-Khan A Lalani  1
Affiliations
Review

The emerging landscape of neo/adjuvant immunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma

Pooya Dibajnia et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. .

Abstract

Adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapies that reduce the risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) recurrence remain an area of unmet need. Advances have been made in metastatic RCC recently by leveraging PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). These agents are currently being investigated in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings to determine if intervention early in the disease trajectory offers a clinically meaningful benefit. While a disease-free survival benefit has been demonstrated with pembrolizumab, results from other ICI studies have not been positive to date. More mature data from these studies are needed to determine whether there is a survival benefit to ICIs in the curative-intent setting. The success of ICIs has also ushered a new wave of studies combining ICIs with other agents such as targeted therapies and vaccines, which are in early stages of investigation. We review the current state of adjuvant/neoadjuvant therapy in RCC and highlight opportunities for ongoing study.

Keywords: Immunotherapy; adjuvant therapy; neoadjuvant therapy; renal cell carcinoma; vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

PD and LC report no competing interests to declare. AAL: Grants/Research Support: BMS (Inst), BioCanRx (Inst), Novartis (Inst), Roche (Inst), Ipsen (Inst), EMD Serrono (Inst); Honoraria/Consultancy: AbbVie, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BMS, Eisai, EMD Serono, Ipsen, Janssen, McKesson, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, TerSera.

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