Ethnicity-Based Outcomes for Patients With mRCC Treated With Nivolumab, Ipilimumab Combo

Latinx patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) demonstrated shorter progression-free survival (PFS) than non-Latinx patients after nivolumab-plus-ipilimumab treatment at a tertiary care center, according to a new analysis presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

Prior research has shown differences in clinical outcomes by ethnicity in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Sally Leong, MD, and colleagues investigated real-world outcomes for Latinx and non-Latinx patients with mRCC treated with first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab within a safety-net health care system and at a tertiary care center in Southern California. The retrospective analysis included 94 patients with pathologic diagnosis of mRCC, aged at least 18 years, who received this combination first-line therapy between January 2015 and December 2021.

Researchers noted that 43% (n=40) of patients were Latinx. These patients were significantly older than non-Latinx patients (59.5 years vs 55.0 years, respectively; P=.008).

International mRCC Database Consortium (IMDC) risk classification, body mass index, history of nephrectomy, and number of comorbidities were similar between the 2 groups.

After conducting a pooled analysis by ethnicity, researchers found significantly shorter PFS in Latinx patients (10.1 months vs 25.2 months; hazard ratio [HR], 3.61; 95% CI, 1.96-6.66; P<.01). Multivariate analysis that adjusted for age, gender, IMDC risk classification, history of nephrectomy, and number of comorbidities revealed a HR of 3.41 (95% CI, 1.31-8.84; P=.01).

Researchers acknowledged that after a median follow-up of 11.0 months, median OS was not met in either group.

“Our data suggest that disparities in access to care may significantly contribute to differences in clinical outcomes of mRCC patients receiving nivolumab plus ipilimumab,” they concluded, noting that the majority of Latinx patients included in the study received their care at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.