Every year, researchers from around the world gather at a meeting in America to present their findings from clinical research studies that they have been working on. This meeting is called the American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers (ASCO GU) Symposium and was held from 13-15 February 2025, in San Francisco, California, USA.

The International Kidney Cancer Coalition (IKCC) has published a report to summarise the highlights of the clinical research studies that are relevant to the care and treatment of patients with kidney cancer.

Here are the ‘take home’ messages from the kidney cancer clinical research studies of most interest:

Take Home Messages

Abstract 467 discussed the burden of metastatic kidney cancer for patients. People living with metastatic kidney cancer are physically and mentally consumed with cancer and disease management. Metastatic kidney cancer disrupts basic daily activities, such as eating, sleeping, and socialising. Patients must routinely engage with the healthcare system, managing appointments with multiple healthcare providers. Importance: Nearly all patients think about their cancer daily. More research is needed to improve care and reduce the burden of metastatic kidney cancer for patients.

Abstract 459 reported no differences in the patient reported outcomes (PROs) between the patients who were treated with the combination of tivozanib plus nivolumab and those treated with tivozanib alone. Patient reported outcomes suggested that quality of life was maintained from the start to the end of treatment. Importance: Although the study did not show any clinical benefit from adding nivolumab to tivozanib in patients who had already been treated with immunotherapy, the addition of nivolumab did not affect the quality of life of these patients and quality of life was maintained from the start to the end of treatment.

Abstract 437 reported biomarker results from the CheckMate 214 study comparing the combination of nivolumab plus ipilimumab with sunitinib. Increased levels of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) in the blood of advanced kidney cancer patients before treatment were linked with worse clinical outcomes. A reduction in KIM-1 levels in the blood 3 weeks after the first cycle of immunotherapy was linked with improved survival. Importance: Blood KIM-1 levels may be a useful biomarker for monitoring advanced kidney cancer patients on immunotherapy.

In abstract 444, durvalumab plus savolitinib continues to show encouraging outcomes in patients with papillary kidney cancer. Levels of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in the blood of papillary kidney cancer patients can be linked with shorter survival time, and stable or progressive disease. Importance:  Monitoring circulating tumour DNA levels in the blood during treatment holds promise as a potential biomarker for outcomes and prognosis for patients with advanced papillary kidney cancer. 

Abstract 441 reported results from a phase 1 study with a new HIF-2α inhibitor, called casdatifan. Casdatifan was well tolerated and showed promising anti-cancer effectiveness in previously treated patients with advanced clear cell kidney cancer. Importance: Further clinical trials are needed to prove the anti-cancer effectiveness of casdatifan, two of which are ongoing to test casdatifan in combination with VEGFR TKI targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

In abstract 438, new information from the COSMIC-313 study was presented showing that treatment of previously untreated advanced kidney cancer patients with a triple combination of cabozantinib, nivolumab and ipilimumab continued to show a progression free survival benefit compared to nivolumab plus ipilimumab. However, overall survival time was similar for both the triple combination and nivolumab plus ipilimumab. Patients with high levels of a white blood cell, called M2 macrophage, had improved overall survival with the triple combination. Importance: Further analysis of biomarkers in kidney cancer tumours is ongoing to predict which patients respond to this triple combination.

In abstract 439, five and a half years follow up results from the cabozantinib plus nivolumab study showed that patients with previously untreated advanced kidney cancer continue to benefit and respond to treatment, regardless of the severity of their disease. Importance: This study shows that the survival benefits from treatment with the cabozantinib plus nivolumab combination are long lasting and support this combination as a standard of care for previously untreated patients with advanced kidney cancer.

In abstract 440, the combination of lenvatinib plus belzutifan for advanced kidney cancer had long lasting anti-tumour activity and side effects were in line with those reported from previous studies. Importance: More work is needed to support the use of this combination in routine clinical practice, and a phase 3 clinical study is currently ongoing to look at the lenvatinib plus belzutifan combination in patients with advanced kidney cancer who have previously been treated with immunotherapy.

Abstract 533 presented the results from the CABRAMET study. This study presented some promising information regarding the management of kidney cancer brain metastases. Importance: This study goes a long way to address an unmet need in kidney cancer patients with brain metastases.

Abstract 555 showed that neoadjuvant treatment (before surgery) of patients with locally advanced kidney cancer with a combination of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab was effective at controlling the growth of, and in some cases, shrinking the tumour before surgery. Importance: Long term outcomes are needed to determine the exact role of anti-cancer treatment before and after surgery (perioperative treatment) in the management of locally advanced kidney cancer.

In abstract 543, the addition of the probiotic bacterium, CBM588, to the cabozantinib plus nivolumab combination continues to show promising effectiveness in patients with metastatic kidney cancer, with improved response to treatment and survival. Side effects of CBM588 are in line with those reported from previous studies. Importance: These results support larger studies in more patients with CBM588. Further work is ongoing to try to find out how CBM588 improves clinical benefits.

Visit the International Kidney Cancer Coalition (IKCC) website for the full report here