Dr David McDermott speaks to ecancer about the phase 2 KEYNOTE-427 study.

He explores an analysis from the KEYNOTE-427 study examining how circulating tumour DNA may help predict outcomes in patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma treated with pembrolizumab.

Patients with detectable circulating tumour DNA at baseline had shorter overall survival compared with those without detectable levels. More importantly, patients whose circulating tumour DNA became undetectable early during treatment showed higher response rates and longer progression-free and overall survival.

Reductions in circulating tumour DNA burden were also associated with improved tumour response, suggesting that early molecular changes may reflect treatment effectiveness.

These findings highlight circulating tumour DNA as a promising biomarker for monitoring response and guiding treatment decisions in advanced kidney cancer, warranting further study in larger patient populations.