Immunotherapy role (as adjuvant) in Kidney cancer (Renal Cell Cancer) after nephrectomy is evolving.
Kidney cancer, also known as renal cell carcinoma, is one of the most common types of cancer affecting the urinary system. The standard treatment for localized renal cell carcinoma is surgical removal of the affected kidney, known as nephrectomy. However, even after surgery, there is a risk of cancer recurrence. Immunotherapy, which uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer, has emerged as a promising adjuvant therapy for kidney cancer after nephrectomy. One of the immunotherapeutic agents that have shown benefit in this setting is pembrolizumab.
Pembrolizumab is a checkpoint inhibitor that targets the programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor on T cells. By blocking the PD-1 receptor, pembrolizumab enhances the ability of T cells to recognize and attack cancer cells. A phase III clinical trial (KEYNOTE-564) evaluated the use of pembrolizumab in patients with high-risk renal cell carcinoma after nephrectomy. The trial showed that pembrolizumab significantly improved disease-free survival compared to placebo. However, the overall survival data are not yet available, and longer follow-up is needed to determine the ultimate benefit of pembrolizumab in this setting.
While immunotherapy has shown promising results in the treatment of kidney cancer, it is not without side effects. Immunotherapy-related adverse events, in general, can affect various organs and systems in the body, including the skin, gastrointestinal tract, liver, lungs, and endocrine system. The most common side effects of immunotherapy include fatigue, rash, diarrhea, nausea, and fever. More severe side effects, such as immune-mediated pneumonitis, colitis, hepatitis, and endocrinopathies, can also occur. Therefore, it is important to discuss with your treating physician, so that, these could be managed as soon as possible.
