The results from the IMmotion010 study were presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress in Paris last weekend. IMmotion010 is a phase 3 randomised study that compares atezolizumab with placebo. The study is double-blind, meaning that the doctor and the patient do not know which treatment the patient is given. The effectiveness of atezolizumab was assessed as an adjuvant therapy in patients with localised kidney cancer with an increased risk of recurrence after surgery.

778 patients were treated for one year with either atezolizumab infusions or placebo infusions every 3 weeks. The average follow-up time was just over 3 and a half years. Average disease-free survival was nearly 5 years (57.2 months) for patients on atezolizumab and just over 4 years (49.5 months) for patients on placebo.

Serious or life-threatening side effects occurred in 27% of patients on atezolizumab and 21% of patients on placebo. There were less than 1% of deaths in each group, none related to treatment.

In conclusion, adjuvant atezolizumab did not significantly improve survival compared to placebo after surgery for localised kidney cancer. However, atezolizumab was well tolerated and side effects were manageable.

Read more in Targeted Oncology here