Results from the IMmotion150 phase II clinical trial showed that a combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and bevacizumab (Avastin) improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with untreated metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) compared with standard treatment with sunitinib (Sutent). These results were presented at the 2017 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference in Madrid, Spain this week.
Using the response evaluation criteria in solid tumours (RECIST), median PFS was 7.8 months with sunitinib, 5.5 months with atezolizumab alone, and 11.0 months with a combination of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. Using an immune-modified version of RECIST (imRECIST), median PFS was 9.9 months with sunitinib, 8.5 months with atezolizumab, and 17.3 months with the combination.
In addition to the clinical benefits, the combination of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab was also well tolerated. Blocking both the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor with bevacizumab and the PD-1 receptor with atezolizumab improved patient response compared to tyrosine kinase inhibition with sunitinib in the overall population and in patients with tumours expressing PD-L1.
