Drs. Peter Barata, Brad McGregor, Neil Shah, and Michael Serzan discuss how emerging second-line options like lenvatinib plus belzutifan may expand treatment choices in refractory RCC without changing the core principle of giving the best available therapy upfront. They emphasize that frontline decisions should not be driven by plans to “save” certain regimens for later, especially since many patients may never reach third-line treatment. The conversation also highlights the complexity of adopting new combinations in practice, with attention to toxicity management, clinician familiarity, and the need to avoid overinterpreting trial data beyond the populations actually studied.
Contributors:
Dr. Pedro Barata is a medical oncologist in Cleveland, Ohio and is affiliated with University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.
Dr. Bradley McGregor is a medical oncologist at Dana-Farber in Boston.
Dr. Neil Shah is a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Dr. Michael Serzan is a medical oncologist at Dana-Farber in Boston.
