Dr Toni Choueiri speaks to ecancer about the phase 3 LITESPARK-022 study.

He highlights results from the phase three LITESPARK-022 trial evaluating pembrolizumab plus belzutifan as adjuvant therapy for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma at high risk of recurrence after nephrectomy.

The combination significantly improved disease-free survival compared with pembrolizumab alone, with higher two-year disease-free survival rates. Overall survival data are still maturing, but early trends favour the combination.

While higher rates of serious side effects were observed with the addition of belzutifan, particularly anaemia, liver enzyme elevations, and hypoxia, the overall safety profile remained consistent with known effects of each drug.

These findings suggest that pembrolizumab plus belzutifan may become a new standard adjuvant treatment option for patients with high-risk kidney cancer following surgery.