Dr. Hammers on the Efficacy of Lenvatinib/Pembrolizumab in Advanced RCC

Hans Hammers, MD, PhD, an associate professor of internal medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, discusses the efficacy of lenvatinib (Lenvima) plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

The majority PD-1 or PD-L1 TKI combinations have historically yielded response rates of approximately 60%, with modest complete response (CR) rates, and a median progression-free survival (PFS) of approximately 15 to 16 months, according to Hammers. 

However, data from the phase 3 CLEAR trial (NCT02811861) indicated that the combination of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab led to a median PFS of 23.9 months. The response rate with the doublet was 71%, with a CR rate of 16.1%, Hammers explains.

The trial provides a strong dataset and has identified another interesting treatment combination for patients with RCC, Hammers concludes.