Following its recent success in non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the immunotherapeutic agent nivolumab received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration last fall for the treatment of advanced clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) after prior antiangiogenic therapy. Nivolumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, is a fully human immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody that binds to the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor on the surface of T cells, prevents their inactivation by tumor cells overexpressing PD-1 ligands, and helps to reinstate the anti-tumor immune response.
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