Long-term data solidify nivolumab + cabozantinib as a standard first line treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma

Based on the results of several large, randomised phase III studies, combinations of an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) and a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), or dual ICI therapy were established as the preferred first line treatment for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). During the 2024 ASCO GU conference, long-term data of the pivotal CheckMate 9ER study evaluating the combination of cabozantinib (CABO) and nivolumab (NIVO) in previously untreated mRCC patients were presented.¹ After a median follow-up of 55.6 months, CABO-NIVO continued to be associated with a significantly longer progressionfree (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and a significantly higher objective response rate (ORR) than sunitinib alone.¹ As such, these long-term data of the CheckMate 9ER study solidify the combination of CABO-NIVO as a preferred first line treatment choice for patients with mRCC.