Renal Cell Carcinoma
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Oct 12 – Oct 19, 2026
Neoadjuvant Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy Before Inferior Vena Cava Thrombectomy for Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Phase 2 Nonrandomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #14/326TOP-TIER
This single-center phase 2 nonrandomized trial evaluated neoadjuvant stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) before nephrectomy and inferior vena cava thrombectomy in 23 patients with renal cell carcinoma and Mayo level II-IV tumor thrombus. SABR delivered 40 Gy in 5 fractions or 36 Gy in 3 fractions, followed by surgery in 22 patients, with 21 included in the primary analysis. One-year recurrence-free survival was 71.4% (95% CI, 47.2-86.0), meeting the prespecified benchmark of 55.7% (P=.09); one-year overall and cancer-specific survival were both 95.2%. The authors concluded that neoadjuvant SABR appeared feasible with acceptable safety, though recurrence-free survival results remain exploratory and warrant further evaluation.
10.1001/jamaoncol.2026.4172
Oct 05 – Oct 12, 2026
A randomised, open-label, phase II study of tobemstomig combinations in patients with previously untreated advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.
ESMO OPEN · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #36/326
This randomised, open-label, phase II trial evaluated tobemstomig plus axitinib and tobemstomig plus tiragolumab plus axitinib versus pembrolizumab plus axitinib in 198 patients with previously untreated advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma. Following a protocol-specified interim futility analysis, the study was terminated and the primary endpoint was amended from progression-free survival and adverse events to adverse events alone, with efficacy assessed descriptively. Grade 3-4 adverse events occurred in 62.1%, 67.7%, and 56.7% of patients, and treatment-related serious adverse events in 22.7%, 29.2%, and 13.4%, across the tobemstomig-axitinib, tobemstomig-tiragolumab-axitinib, and control arms, respectively. Confirmed overall response rates were 51.5%, 53.8%, and 51.5%, with median progression-free survival of 12.4, 12.5, and 12.5 months. The authors concluded that tobemstomig-containing regimens increased toxicity without meaningful efficacy improvement versus control.
10.1016/j.esmoop.2026.108587
Summary of Research: Two-Stage Estimation of Overall Survival in the Phase 3 CheckMate 9ER Trial, Adjusting for the Impact of Subsequent Therapy.
ADV THER · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #82/352
This study conducted a post hoc analysis of the phase 3 CheckMate 9ER trial using two-stage estimation to assess overall survival benefits of cabozantinib plus nivolumab (CaboNivo) versus sunitinib (SUN) in advanced renal cell carcinoma, adjusting for subsequent therapy effects. The two-stage approach first modeled how subsequent therapy extended survival in patients discontinuing original treatment, then calculated adjusted hazard ratios. Results showed TSE-adjusted median OS of 42.7 months for CaboNivo versus 21.3 months for SUN (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.43-0.65, p<0.001), compared to unadjusted estimates of 46.5 versus 35.5 months (HR 0.79, p=0.0196). The analysis demonstrated that removing subsequent therapy effects increased the estimated OS benefit, reinforcing CaboNivo as first-line standard of care for advanced renal cell carcinoma.
10.1007/s12325-026-03773-3
Tislelizumab plus lenvatinib in advanced fumarate hydratase-deficient renal cell carcinoma: a single-arm, phase 2 trial with metabolic biomarker analysis.
NAT COMMUN · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #10/135TOP-TIER
This single-arm, phase 2 trial evaluated first-line tislelizumab plus lenvatinib in 20 patients with advanced fumarate hydratase-deficient renal cell carcinoma, with objective response rate as the primary endpoint. At a median follow-up of 20.2 months, the ORR was 95% (95% CI 75.1-99.9), DCR was 100%, median PFS was 20.7 months, median DOR was 19.2 months, and 2-year OS was 89.7%, with grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events in 45%. Circulating succinyl-adenosine and succinic-cysteine tracked tumor burden in 80% of patients. The authors conclude that tislelizumab plus lenvatinib shows promising antitumor activity and manageable safety as a potential first-line option for advanced FH-RCC, though limitations include the single-center, single-arm design and small sample size.
10.1038/s41467-026-77615-9
Sep 28 – Oct 05, 2026
Final results and predictive biomarkers of response and long-term outcomes with first-line pembrolizumab monotherapy in advanced renal cell carcinoma in the phase II KEYNOTE-427 study.
ANN ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #4/326TOP-TIER
This single-arm phase II KEYNOTE-427 trial evaluated first-line pembrolizumab monotherapy in advanced clear cell and non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma. The primary endpoint was objective response rate by blinded independent central review, with exploratory biomarker analyses of T-cell-inflamed gene expression profile, PD-L1 combined positive score, RCC driver mutations, and circulating tumor DNA. After ~5 years median follow-up, ORRs were 36.4% in ccRCC (cohort A) and 26.7% in nccRCC (cohort B), with Tcell GEP and PD-L1 CPS positively associated with response and survival outcomes. The authors conclude pembrolizumab is highly active in advanced RCC and that molecular and ctDNA biomarkers may enable precision treatment.
10.1016/j.annonc.2026.09.011
Sep 21 – Sep 28, 2026
Toward precision adjuvant immunotherapy in high-risk clear cell renal cell carcinoma: integrating plasma multiomics with PD-1 blockade.
J IMMUNOTHER CANCER · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #12/183TOP-TIER
This prospective, multicenter, non-randomized phase II trial evaluated adjuvant penpulimab in very-high-risk clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients following nephrectomy, integrating plasma proteomic and metabolomic analyses to identify circulating immune-metabolic signatures associated with recurrence. The study demonstrated improved disease-free survival compared with surveillance and identified biomarker signatures linked to treatment response. However, the non-randomized design, limited sample size, and exploratory biomarker analyses preclude immediate clinical practice changes. The findings highlight the potential of combining prospective immunotherapy trials with liquid biopsy-based multiomics to enable precision adjuvant immunotherapy through improved risk stratification and minimal residual disease monitoring.
10.1136/jitc-2026-016587
Aug 24 – Aug 31, 2026
Adjuvant pembrolizumab for the treatment of clear cell renal cell carcinoma: Five-year results from the phase III KEYNOTE-564 study.
ANN ONCOL · Q1 JOURNAL - RANK #4/326TOP-TIER
This randomized phase III trial (KEYNOTE-564) compared adjuvant pembrolizumab (n=496) to placebo (n=498) in adults with clear cell renal cell carcinoma at increased risk of recurrence following nephrectomy. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS), with overall survival (OS) as a key secondary endpoint. At a median follow-up of 70 months, pembrolizumab significantly improved DFS (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.59-0.86) and OS (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.48-0.90), with 5-year DFS rates of 60.9% versus 52.2% and 5-year OS rates of 87.7% versus 82.3%. The authors concluded that adjuvant pembrolizumab provides sustained DFS and OS benefits with a consistent safety profile.
10.1016/j.annonc.2026.08.006