Dr. McKay Discusses Combinations in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Rana R. McKay, MD, medical oncologist, assistant professor, Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, discusses combinations in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Monotherapy with VEGF-targeted agents and immunotherapy has been the mainstay of RCC treatment over the last decade, but recent data with the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) has provided an argument in favor of combinations.

Looking ahead, McKay says that the next 5 to 10 years will see more combinations coming into the frontline setting to improve response rates and durability of response for patients.

With such a rapidly-changing treatment landscape, McKay says that it is important for community providers to learn how to manage toxicities, especially the immune-related adverse events associated with combination immunotherapy. As chemotherapy is phased out and the field becomes more reliant on targeted therapies and immunotherapies, learning how to administer different novel drugs will be important moving forward, McKay concludes.