A recent study wanted to find out what happens to people with advanced kidney cancer who are treated with a combination of two immunotherapies, nivolumab and ipilimumab, and then have to stop treatment because of immune-related side effects caused by their immune system. Some patients restarted treatment after their side effects got better, while others stopped the treatment for good.

The study looked at data from 129 Japanese patients and split them into three groups: those who never had to stop treatment, those who restarted treatment after side effects, and those who stopped treatment permanently after side effects.

The time it took for side effects to appear was about the same for those who restarted and those who stopped treatment (just over 2 months). The kinds of side effects and how serious they were were similar in both groups, but fewer people who restarted needed strong steroid medicines to help with side effects.

The percentage of patients who responded well to treatment was 30% for those who never stopped, 63% for those who restarted, and 64% for those who stopped permanently.

The length of time before the cancer got worse and survival rates after three years were about the same for people who restarted treatment and those who stopped permanently (about 28 and 26 months; 3-year survival: 69% and 78%). Both were much better than for those who never had to stop (just over 4 months; 3-year survival: 28%).

In summary, it seems safe for some patients to restart nivolumab after having side effects, but stopping treatment permanently can also lead to good results. This means stopping treatment for good may be a good option for some people.

Read more in UroToday here