Phase II Study of Front Line Therapy With Nivolumab and Salvage Nivolumab + Ipilimumab in Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma. HCRN: GU16-260

Eligible patients with biopsiable (biopsied) disease will receive nivolumab 240 mg IV every 2 weeks x 6 doses then 360 mg every 3 weeks for up to 84 weeks. Tumor response will be assessed at weeks 12, 18 and 24 and then every 12 weeks. For patients who experience RECIST 1.1 defined PD, but remain clinically stable (and asymptomatic), a confirmatory scan after 6 weeks (± 1 week) of additional therapy is suggested. Patients with persistent PD at confirmatory scan will be evaluated for enrollment on Part B of this study. Symptomatic patients may be evaluated for Part B immediately. Patients without confirmed PD can continue on nivolumab therapy.

Patients who experience symptomatic or confirmed PD (or have best response of SD at 12 months) on nivolumab monotherapy will be eligible for consideration for Part B. Part B involves the addition of ipilimumab for up to 4 doses while maintaining nivolumab therapy. Dose of ipilimumab will be 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks together with nivolumab changed to 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks for up to 4 doses. Nivolumab will revert to 360 mg every 3 weeks after the completion of treatment with ipilimumab (beginning week 13-19 of Part B) for up to 48 weeks. Patients will be followed with serial imaging assessments weeks 12, 18 and 24 and then every 12 weeks after the initiation of ipilimumab. The tumor measurements at the time of ipilimumab institution will be the new baseline. If unequivocal symptomatic or confirmed new PD (as defined above) develops, treatment will be discontinued.

Patients for Part B must still meet the eligibility criteria for initial study enrollment. Patients with Grade 3 toxicity on nivolumab monotherapy, serious symptomatic disease that in the opinion of the site investigator requires immediate use of an alternative treatment approach or continued PR/CR will be excluded from enrolling in Part B. It is estimated that roughly half of the patients accrued to the first-line treatment will go on to enroll in Part B.

An additional biopsy will be performed of a metastatic lesion at time of confirmed PD in all patients enrolling in Part B. Confirmation of tumor in the biopsy specimen must occur prior to initiation of treatment on Part B. FFPE and frozen tissue will be stored from this sample and used for correlative studies described below.

An additional cohort of 40 non-ccRCC patients will be enrolled and analyzed separately for evidence of anti-tumor activity (CR, PR and SD and PFS at 1 year of nivolumab). These patients will also be eligible for participation in Part B. We anticipate that the accrual of these 40 patients will be able to be completed within the 1.5 years needed for accrual of the ccRCC patients.

Part A: Nivolumab Administration. Nivolumab will be given every 2 weeks x 6 at a dose of 240 mg Intravenously (IV) and then every 3 weeks at a dose of 360 mg IV until toxicity, complete response, disease progression, SD at 12 months or a maximum of 96 total weeks (12 weeks induction, 84 weeks maintenance) Patients with disease progression (at any time) or SD at 12 months will be eligible to be considered for participation in Part B of the study.

Part B: Nivolumab + Ipilimumab. Patients with Grade 3 toxicity on nivolumab monotherapy, (excluding endocrine toxicity), serious symptomatic disease that in the opinion of the site investigator requires immediate use of an alternative treatment approach or continued PR/CR will be excluded from enrolling in Part B. It is estimated that roughly half of the patients accrued to the first line treatment will go on to enroll in Part B.

Ipilimumab will be given 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks together with nivolumab 240 mg every 3 weeks for up to 4 doses. Nivolumab will revert to 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks after the completion of combination treatment with ipilimumab .

Following the first 4 doses of the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab, nivolumab monotherapy will again be given every 3 weeks at a dose of 360 mg for a maximum of 48 weeks. Patients may be dosed no less than 18 days from the previous dose of drug; and dosed up to 3 days after the scheduled date, if necessary.