Pembrolizumab plus axitinib for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma

Introduction:

The dominant paradigm of sequential therapy of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) with single agents has recently been challenged by improved outcomes obtained with combined regimens with immune checkpoint inhibitors. These combined regimens include the combination of pembrolizumab plus axitinib.

Areas covered:

Here, we provide a brief overview of the current clinical data on the pembrolizumab plus axitinib combination including mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety profile.

Expert opinion:

Both agents targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway and immune checkpoint inhibitors are active as single agents in mRCC. Improved outcomes have been demonstrated in phase 3 trials in comparison with sunitinib for the combinations of axitinib …