Giuseppe Caruso, Gynecology Oncology Specialist at European Institute of Oncology, shared on LinkedIn:
“Articles like this one in advanced renal cell carcinoma are so inspiring and always make me think beyond the tumour type.
IO re-challenge in gynecologic oncology: why not?
IO has revolutionized the treatment and prognosis of EC and CC patients. And I can think of several reasons why IO re-challenge could have a role:
1. Could we stop – and re-challenge later?
Looking at the long-term follow-up of first-line IO trials, such as the 2026 updates of RUBY and NRG-GY018, could we consider stopping IO after 1–2 years in selected patients who have not progressed, and preserve the possibility of IO re-challenge at recurrence?
Perhaps with a “smarter” IO strategy next time – bispecific antibodies, combinations with antiangiogenic agents, or other novel partners.
2. IO is moving earlier and earlier.
As IO moves into earlier settings – adjuvant, locally advanced disease, even neoadjuvant in the near future – the question becomes even more relevant. Are we really not considering 1L IO re-challenge for these patients?
3. re-challenge is not a new concept in oncology.
We already embrace it every day with other treatments – think platinum re-challenge in ovarian cancer. So why not IO?
We don’t have the answer yet. But I strongly believe this is a question worth asking – and studying.”
Title: Belzutifan plus lenvatinib versus cabozantinib in patients with previously treated advanced renal cell carcinoma (LITESPARK-011): an open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial
Authors: Robert J Motzer, Prof Ray McDermott, Prof Se Hoon Park, Mauricio Burotto, Prof Roberto Iacovelli, Elena Verzoni, Cristina Suárez, Prof Masatoshi Eto, Hernan J Cutuli, Prof Camillo Porta, Ray Manneh Kopp, Prof Sylvie Rottey, Guillermo de Velasco, Begoña P Valderrama, Prof Arun A Azad, Ugo De Giorgi, Michel Pavic, Piotr Tomczak, Robert Figlin, Hans M Westgeest, Annalisa Guida, Prof Andrea Necchi, Fabio A Schutz, Britt B M Suelmann, Prof John B A G Haanen, Sammy Shuai Yuan, Rodolfo F Perini, Ding Wang, Daniel Y C Heng, Manuela Schmidinger.
You can also read: ‘LITESPARK-011 Trial: Belzutifan Plus Lenvatinib vs Cabozantinib in Advanced RCC‘
