Lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab combination therapy for adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma

Introduction The treatment landscape of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has significantly evolved in recent years with the advent and approval of multiple combinations of anti-angiogenic agents with immune checkpoint inhibitors, of which the combination of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab is the most recent to be incorporated into clinical practice. Areas covered Herein, we provide an overview of the combination of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in metastatic RCC, including the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety profile. Expert opinion Lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab has demonstrated substantial efficacy in patients with metastatic RCC in the first-line and refractory treatment setting with the highest reported results of radiological responses, complete responses, and progression free survival compared to all other RCC treatments. However, the field is currently still limited with the limited availability of biomarkers to inform on treatment selection and the lack of head-to-head studies across the effective RCC treatments. Ongoing and future studies are eagerly anticipated to uncover multiple unmet needs in RCC.