Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40668757›Full record

ArticleJNCI cancer spectrum2025

The Food and Drug Administration pooled analysis of overall survival according to depth of response in frontline advanced immune-oncology renal cell carcinoma trials.

Elaine Chang, Haley Gittleman, Chi Song, Erik Bloomquist, Laura Fernandes, Chana Weinstock, Sundeep Agrawal, Nicole Gormley, Shenghui Tang, Daniel L Suzman and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JNCI cancer spectrum, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Elaine ChangCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-6255-2853
Haley GittlemanCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-6976-8777
Chi SongCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-1108-1750
Erik BloomquistStatistics, Oncology, Merck & Co, Inc, Rahway, NJ, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-5557-3135
Laura FernandesCOTA, New York, NY, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-5986-3885
Chana WeinstockCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States.
Sundeep AgrawalCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-5447-8590
Nicole GormleyCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States.
Shenghui TangCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States.
Daniel L SuzmanCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States.
Laleh Amiri-KordestaniCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-0056-5437
Richard PazdurOncology Center of Excellence, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States.
Paul G KluetzOncology Center of Excellence, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States.
David F McDermottBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, MA, United States.
Meredith M ReganDepartment of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-2428-6109
Brian I RiniVanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-2212-080X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRetrospective analyses of studies of IO-containing combinations for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) suggest that depth of response is associated with overall survival but have methodological limitations. We investigated the relationship of week 12 depth of response as a continuous variable with overall survival.

methodsPooling data from patients with treatment-naïve advanced RCC enrolled in randomized IO-containing frontline advanced RCC trials submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration that included week 12 imaging assessment, we developed 36-month overall survival prediction models based on week 12 depth of response (reduction from baseline in target lesion diameter) using Cox proportional hazards with natural spline in an IO combination group and a sunitinib group. To avoid guarantee-time bias, only patients in follow-up at the week 12 scan were included. Overall survival was defined from the week 12 imaging date.

resultsAmong the 4 trials that met our inclusion criteria, 1364 patients in the IO combination group and 1267 patients in the sunitinib group had week 12 imaging. Depth of response and 36-month overall survival were correlated throughout the entire range of depth of response in both treatment groups, with no plateau in overall survival as depth of response approached complete response. Across this range, estimated 36-month overall survival was higher in the IO combination group.

conclusionsDeeper response was associated with better 36-month overall survival in this pooled exploratory analysis of treatment-naïve patients with advanced RCC treated with IO combination or sunitinib. Further work characterizing the relationship between depth of response and overall survival at the trial level may advance understanding of the utility of depth of response as a pharmacodynamic response biomarker or early endpoint in signal-seeking trials and to facilitate efficient drug development.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsCarcinoma, Renal CellKidney NeoplasmsAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProportional Hazards ModelsRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSunitinibTreatment OutcomeUnited StatesUnited States Food and Drug AdministrationSunitinib

Identifiers

PMID40668757
PMCPMC12374791

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.