At the 2026 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, new studies highlighted advances in renal cell (kidney) cancer treatment. There were exciting updates on novel combinations of immunotherapy and targeted therapies that can provide more treatment options for patients. Below are some of the top headlines.
The phase 3 LITESPARK-022 trial found that adding belzutifan (Welireg) to pembrolizumab (Keytruda) after kidney cancer surgery helped patients stay cancer-free longer than pembrolizumab alone. At one year, 92% of patients on the combination had no signs of cancer, compared with 85% on pembrolizumab by itself. Overall, the two-drug approach lowered the risk of the cancer returning or leading to death by 28%. Side effects were more common with the combination, but they were generally manageable.
This is important because many patients with high-risk kidney cancer still see their cancer come back after surgery. This combination could offer a stronger option to help reduce that risk.
Researchers found that combining belzutifan (Welireg) with lenvatinib (Lenvima) helped people with advanced renal cell (kidney) cancer live longer without their disease getting worse compared with Cabometyx (cabozantinib). About 53% of patients on the combination had tumor shrinkage versus 40% on cabozantinib, and responses lasted longer.
This is significant because these patients had already progressed after immunotherapy, and the combination offers a stronger treatment option to help control their cancer.
In the RAMPART trial, researchers found that combining durvalumab (Imfinzi) and tremelimumab (Imjudo) after renal cell (kidney) cancer surgery improved 3-year disease-free survival from 73% with active monitoring to 81%. While overall health and quality-of-life were similar by 15 months, patients on the dual immunotherapy experienced more side effects early after treatment.
Although these findings are encouraging, patients and doctors should discuss both the efficacy and the possible impact on quality of life when considering this treatment.
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