C-reactive protein (CRP) as a predictive marker for outcomes with avelumab + axitinib (A + Ax) in patients with poor-risk advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC): Exploratory analysis from JAVELIN Renal 101.

670 Background: Analyses from the phase 3 JAVELIN Renal 101 trial (NCT02684006) suggested that CRP levels at baseline (BL) and early after treatment may predict outcomes with A + Ax in patients with aRCC. In addition, many patients with International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) poor risk who had prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were observed at the third interim analysis of OS. We analyzed the association between CRP levels and prolonged PFS/OS with A + Ax in patients with IMDC poor risk. Methods: CRP levels were assessed at screening and on day 1 of each 6-week cycle. Patients in the A + Ax arm with 3 or 4-6 IMDC risk factors were categorized into subgroups with CRP normal (BL CRP <10 mg/L), normalized (BL CRP ≥10 mg/L and ≥1 CRP value decreased to <10 mg/L during 6-week treatment), or non-normalized (CRP ≥10 mg/L at BL and during 6-week treatment). CRP levels were compared in patients with prolonged PFS/OS (PFS ≥24 months [mo] and OS ≥30 mo) or PFS <24 mo (any OS duration). Results: In the A + Ax arm (N=442), 44 and 29 patients had 3 or 4-6 IMDC risk factors, of whom 7 and 5 had prolonged PFS/OS, and 26 and 20 had PFS <24 mo, respectively (Table). Most patients with 3 or 4-6 risk factors with prolonged PFS/OS were in the normal or non-normalized CRP group, respectively. In patients with 3 risk factors with prolonged PFS/OS, CRP levels were generally low at BL and remained low for 24 mo. In patients with 4-6 risk factors with prolonged PFS/OS, CRP levels were high at BL and decreased markedly within 6 weeks, then maintained for 24 mo. Conclusions: In patients with poor-risk aRCC treated with A + Ax, a low CRP level at BL and during treatment or a rapid decrease in high CRP levels might predict favorable long-term outcomes, although CRP levels are unspecific and may increase/decrease with other diseases/comorbidities. Clinical trial information: NCT02684006 . [Table: see text]