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Checkpoint Inhibitor

Immunotherapy for Kidney Cancer

Phase < 1
Waitlist Available
Led By Padmanee Sharma
Research Sponsored by M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Patients can have had prior treatment for RCC including prior surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy with interleukin (IL)-2 or interferon (but not anti-programmed cell death [PD]1 or anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 [CTLA-4]), target therapy with receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitors/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors, such as sunitinib, sorafenib, pazopanib, axitinib, everolimus, and temsirolimus (but not bevacizumab) or chemotherapy
Patients must have measurable disease and is defined as a lesion that can be accurately measured on the long axis with a minimum size of 10 mm or a lymph node that can be accurately measured along the short axis of a minimum size of 15 mm (computed tomography [CT] scan slice thickness can be no greater than 5 mm)
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up up to 5 years
Awards & highlights
No Placebo-Only Group
All Individual Drugs Already Approved

Summary

This trial tests immunotherapy to treat kidney cancer that has spread. Monoclonal antibodies may help the body attack cancer cells & slow their growth.

Who is the study for?
This trial is for adults with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) that can be surgically removed. Participants must understand the study and risks, may have had previous treatments except certain immunotherapies or bevacizumab, and should meet specific health criteria like adequate blood counts and organ function.
What is being tested?
The trial tests how well nivolumab works alone or combined with bevacizumab or ipilimumab before surgery in patients with kidney cancer. It's an early phase I pilot study to see if these monoclonal antibodies can boost the immune system to fight cancer and prevent tumor growth.
What are the potential side effects?
Potential side effects include immune-related reactions affecting organs, infusion reactions similar to allergic responses, fatigue, possible bleeding from bevacizumab use, liver enzyme changes, skin rash, diarrhea from ipilimumab use, and other typical chemotherapy-associated risks.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below
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I have had treatments for kidney cancer but not with PD1 or CTLA-4 inhibitors or bevacizumab.
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I have a tumor or lymph node that can be measured and meets the size requirements.
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I can take care of myself and am up and about more than half of my waking hours.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~up to 5 years
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and up to 5 years for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary study objectives
Therapeutic procedure
Secondary study objectives
Duration of response
Immunological changes in tumor tissues and peripheral blood
Objective response rates
+2 more

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group
All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.
All Individual Drugs Already Approved
Therapies where all constituent drugs have already been approved are likely to have better-understood side effect profiles.

Trial Design

3Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Arm C (nivolumab, ipilimumab, surgery)Experimental Treatment6 Interventions
Patients receive nivolumab IV over 60 minutes and ipilimumab IV over 90 minutes on day 1 every 3 weeks for 6 weeks. Patients also undergo nephrectomy, metastasectomy or biopsy as in Arm A. Beginning 4-6 weeks after surgery, patients in all arms who have clinical response, stable disease, or even slight progression of disease to therapy preoperatively, receive maintenance nivolumab IV over 60 minutes on day 1. Cycles repeat every 4 weeks for 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Group II: Arm B (nivolumab, bevacizumab, surgery)Experimental Treatment6 Interventions
Patients receive nivolumab IV over 60 minutes and bevacizumab IV over 90 minutes on day 1 every 2 weeks for 6 weeks. Patients also undergo nephrectomy, metastasectomy or biopsy as in Arm A. Beginning 4-6 weeks after surgery, patients in all arms who have clinical response, stable disease, or even slight progression of disease to therapy preoperatively, receive maintenance nivolumab IV over 60 minutes on day 1. Cycles repeat every 4 weeks for 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Group III: Arm A (nivolumab, surgery)Experimental Treatment5 Interventions
Patients receive nivolumab IV over 60 minutes on day 1 every 2 weeks for 6 weeks. Approximately 4 weeks later, patients undergo nephrectomy, metastasectomy or biopsy. Beginning 4-6 weeks after surgery, patients in all arms who have clinical response, stable disease, or even slight progression of disease to therapy preoperatively, receive maintenance nivolumab IV over 60 minutes on day 1. Cycles repeat every 4 weeks for 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Treatment
First Studied
Drug Approval Stage
How many patients have taken this drug
Biopsy
2014
Completed Phase 4
~1090
Ipilimumab
FDA approved
Bevacizumab
FDA approved
Metastasectomy
2010
N/A
~100
Nivolumab
FDA approved
Therapeutic Conventional Surgery
2005
Completed Phase 3
~9890

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

M.D. Anderson Cancer CenterLead Sponsor
3,066 Previous Clinical Trials
1,802,141 Total Patients Enrolled
National Cancer Institute (NCI)NIH
13,925 Previous Clinical Trials
41,017,897 Total Patients Enrolled
Padmanee SharmaPrincipal InvestigatorM.D. Anderson Cancer Center
1 Previous Clinical Trials
29 Total Patients Enrolled
~9 spots leftby Nov 2025