Neoadjuvant Sitravatinib in Combination With Nivolumab in Patients With Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Sitravatinib is a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that targets multiple closely related receptor tyrosine kinase pathways including VEGFR, PDGFR, c-KIT, MET, and the TAM family of receptors (TYRO3, AXL, and MER). Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against PD-1 and blocks the interaction between PD-1 and its ligands, thereby releasing PD-1-mediated inhibition of T-cell proliferation (including cytotoxic CD8+ T-cells) and cytokine production. Together, sitravatinib and nivolumab may cooperate to elicit greater anti-tumor activity than either agent alone, as sitravatinib is predicted to enhance several steps in the cancer immunity cycle that may augment the efficacy of nivolumab.