Exploring the efficacy of nivolumab and ipilimumab in renal cell carcinoma: insights from a district hospital cohort study.

Background: Nivolumab and ipilimumab combination is recommended as a first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) in patients without life-threatening symptoms. This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of this treatment regimen administered in the one-day chemotherapy unit of a district hospital.

Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study involving 36 patients diagnosed with mRCC who had received combined immunotherapy at the Department of Chemotherapy, District Hospital in Sucha Beskidzka, Poland. We evaluated treatment response and adverse events (AEs). Laboratory parameters were recorded, and we calculated neutrophil-lymphocyte ratios (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratios (PLR), and lymphocyte-monocyte ratios (LMR) at baseline, after 3 months of treatment, and prior to disease progression.

Results: After a median follow-up of 11 months (7.5-17.5 months), the median overall survival was not reached (NR, 6.7-NR), while the median progression-free survival was 11.5 months (6.7-NR). The objective response rate was 30.6% (n = 11), and the disease-control rate was 66.7% (n = 24). Hemoglobin and eosinophil levels varied at three checkpoints, without differences in NLR, PLR, and LMR. AEs of any grade were observed in 23 patients (63.9%) with a median onset time of 3 months (2-4 months), and serious AEs in 13.8% of patients (n = 5).

Conclusions: Our analysis suggests that the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab for mRCC has an acceptable toxicity profile and can be effectively managed in a district hospital's outpatient clinic. This approach requires close patient monitoring and collaboration with other hospital departments to ensure patient safety and treatment efficacy.