Efficacy and safety of nivolumab in advanced renal cell carcinoma: a systematic review of combination and monotherapy approaches 3715

Abstract Description Introduction Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a malignant cancer with limited options for treatment in advanced stages. Nivolumab, a PD-1-targeting monoclonal antibody, shows promise by boosting immune response against RCC. This systematic review evaluates nivolumab’s efficacy and safety, both as monotherapy and in combination with agents like Ipilimumab and Cabozantinib, focusing on clinical outcomes such as overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall response rate (ORR) to inform RCC treatment strategies. Methods A systematic literature search of PubMed, MEDLINE, and PubMed Central databases identified 20 studies involving over 3,000 patients meeting the inclusion criteria. Primary endpoints analyzed included OS, PFS, and ORR in RCC patients treated with nivolumab, either alone or combined with other drugs. Results Nivolumab-based combination therapies highlight marked improvements in OS and PFS over traditional treatments and nivolumab monotherapy, with high ORR. Some combination regimens showed over 30% OS improvement in trials, along with notable PFS gains. Although these regimens had higher adverse events, they were manageable, affirming nivolumab’s safety profile. Conclusion This review highlights nivolumab, specifically in combination regimens, as a potent regimen for advanced RCC, with significant survival and response benefits over standard approaches. Further research on optimizing nivolumab regimens could enhance patient outcomes in RCC. Topic Categories Tumor Immunology: Checkpoints, Prevention, and Treatment (TIPT)