Health Canada approves Keytruda as monotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of adults with renal cell carcinoma at intermediate-high or high risk of recurrence following nephrectomy or following nephrectomy and resection of metastatic lesions

This approval is based on the results from the Phase III KEYNOTE-564 trial, which demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in disease-free survival.

“It is estimated that in 2022 over eight thousand Canadians will be diagnosed with kidney and renal pelvis cancer, of which renal cell carcinoma is the most common type,” said Christine Collins, Executive Director, Kidney Cancer Canada. “For people who are impacted by RCC, having a new treatment option following surgery, can offer patients and their loved ones support in managing the disease.”

RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer, making up for more than 90% of cases of kidney cancer. It occurs most often in people over 50, and is more common in men than in women. Some of the risk factors include smoking, obesity, and high blood pressure.Given the impact on patients, there is active research in understanding the molecular biology of the disease and improvements in prevention, diagnosis, and availability of treatment options.