# Racial differences in real-world outcomes of first-line therapies for advanced renal cell carcinoma

## TL;DR

This study explores racial differences in treatment outcomes for advanced kidney cancer in real-world settings, finding disparities in survival and response rates between Black and White patients.

## Contribution

The study provides real-world evidence of racial disparities in first-line therapy outcomes for advanced renal cell carcinoma.

## Key findings

- African-American/Black patients had poorer baseline functional performance compared to White patients.
- Black patients showed numerically lower overall response rates and shorter survival with immunotherapy combinations.
- The study highlights the need for further research with larger sample sizes to confirm these trends.

## Abstract

Given the historical underrepresentation of racial minorities in clinical trials, little is known about racial differences in outcomes of first-line therapies for advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC). This study described patient characteristics and clinical outcomes of first-line therapies for aRCC, including nivolumab + ipilimumab, pembrolizumab + axitinib, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, by race in the real-world setting.

We conducted a retrospective medical chart review of patients with intermediate/poor-risk clear-cell aRCC. Treating physicians abstracted patient data from electronic medical charts.

Among 346 patients with intermediate/poor-risk aRCC, a higher proportion of African-American/Black (n = 78) versus White (n = 268) patients had poorer baseline functional performance (ECOG-PS ≥ 2: 37.2% versus 21.3%). African-American/Black patients trended toward numerically lower overall response rates and shorter overall survival for nivolumab + ipilimumab or pembrolizumab + axitinib than White patients.

These findings provide important insights into racial differences in first-line aRCC treatment outcomes within real-world settings. Additional research with larger sample sizes is warranted.