Every year, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting brings together cancer researchers, oncologists, and advocates to discuss the latest advances in cancer care. For kidney cancer, ASCO 2026 is highlighting important conversations around personalizing care. Explore the two updates, below.
Immunotherapy after kidney cancer surgery: What the RAMPART trial found
The RAMPART trial looked at whether immunotherapy after surgery could help prevent kidney cancer from coming back. Patients were given either the immunotherapy drug durvalumab alone, durvalumab plus tremelimumab, or no additional treatment with active monitoring.
The combination of durvalumab plus tremelimumab showed clearer benefit, with about 80% of patients disease-free at three years and a significant reduction in the risk of recurrence, especially in those at higher risk of relapse. In the highest-risk patients, the combination reduced the risk of recurrence or death by nearly half compared with monitoring alone.
At three years, people who received durvalumab alone had a slightly higher disease-free survival rate (78%) compared with active monitoring (72%), with about a 26% lower risk of the cancer returning or worsening, but this difference wasn’t statistically significant.
Overall, the study suggests that while durvalumab alone showed a modest trend, the combination immunotherapy approach may offer more meaningful protection against recurrence after kidney cancer surgery, particularly for patients at higher risk.
New combination therapy shows promise in rare kidney cancers
The phase II CaboNivo study evaluated cabozantinib plus nivolumab in patients with advanced non–clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a less common and historically harder-to-treat form of kidney cancer. Overall, the combination led to tumor shrinkage or disappearance in about 43% of patients, with many others experiencing stable disease. Responses were seen across most subtypes and in both treatment-naïve and previously treated patients, with median progression-free survival of about 11 months and some responses lasting over a year. The treatment also had a manageable safety profile with no new safety concerns.
These results are important because they suggest that combining cabozantinib and nivolumab may offer a meaningful treatment option for several rare kidney cancer subtypes that traditionally have limited effective therapies, with durable responses seen across multiple groups.
Why this matters for patients
Large cancer meetings like ASCO can feel overwhelming, especially when headlines start appearing before patients have a clear explanation of what the research actually means. Not every study will change treatment right away, and early excitement doesn’t always translate into a new standard of care.
For patients, the goal is not to become an expert in every abstract. The goal is to know which questions may be worth bringing back to your care team.
Outcomes4Me is here to help you better understand your diagnosis and treatment options. You deserve clear, trustworthy information at every step.
