Immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as nivolumab, ipilimumab or pembrolizumab are often used alone or in combination with other drugs for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Unfortunately, researchers are yet to identify a reliable biomarker to predict a patient’s response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. PD-L1 is a potential biomarker for the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The current study investigated PD-L1 status in metastatic RCC patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors in five clinical trials, including a total of 4063 patients. Overall, 44% of patients were positive for PD-L1 expression.

The results of the study showed that immune checkpoint inhibitors were more effective in patients with PD-L1–positive RCC tumours.

Read more in Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology here