NCT02853331

Podcasts, YouTube videos and X posts in our index that name this trial. A report screens them, searches for more and cites what clinicians said when it is built.

Official title

A Phase III Randomized, Open-label Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in Combination With Axitinib Versus Sunitinib Monotherapy as a First-line Treatment for Locally Advanced or Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma (mRCC) (KEYNOTE-426)

Phase

Phase 3

Status

Completed

Conditions

Renal Cell Carcinoma

Interventions

Pembrolizumab; Axitinib; Sunitinib

Arms

• Pembrolizumab+Axitinib Combination Therapy · Experimental
• Sunitinib Monotherapy · Active comparator

Enrollment

861

Primary outcomes

• Progression-Free Survival (PFS) Per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors Version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) as Assessed by Blinded Independent Central Imaging Review
• Overall Survival (OS)

Sponsor

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Start

Sep 16, 2016

Primary completion

Oct 18, 2018

Results posted

Yes

Registry record

NCT02853331 · updated Feb 2, 2026

• Rini BI, Plimack ER, Stus V, Gafanov R, Waddell T, Nosov D, Pouliot F, Alekseev B, Soulieres D, Melichar B, Vynnychenko I, de Azevedo SJ, Borchiellini D, McDermott RS, Bedke J, Tamada S, Wu S, Markensohn J, Zhang Y, Loboda A, Vajdi A, Perini RF, Burgents J, Powles T. Pembrolizumab plus axitinib versus sunitinib for advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma: 5-year survival and biomarker analyses of the phase 3 KEYNOTE-426 trial. Nat Med. 2025 Oct;31(10):3475-3484. doi: 10.1038/s41591-025-03867-5. Epub 2025 Aug 1. PubMed 40750932
• Chung HJ, Kondoh C, Bae WK, Tamada S, Matsubara N, Lee HJ, Mizuno R, Anai S, Kimura G, Tomita Y, Chang CH, Chang JW, Lin J, Perini RF, Molife LR, Powles T, Rini BI, Uemura H. First-line pembrolizumab-axitinib versus sunitinib in metastatic RCC: subgroup analysis of patients enrolled in the phase 3 KEYNOTE-426 in Eastern Asia. Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2025 Apr 6;55(4):406-413. doi: 10.1093/jjco/hyae182. PubMed 39815637
• Rini BI, Atkins MB, Choueiri TK, Teresi RE, Rosbrook B, Thakur M, Hutson TE. Plain language summary looking at how long side effects last after treatment with axitinib is stopped in people with advanced renal cell carcinoma. Future Oncol. 2023 Dec;19(40):2623-2629. doi: 10.2217/fon-2023-0233. Epub 2023 Aug 1. PubMed 37526095
• Aldin A, Besiroglu B, Adams A, Monsef I, Piechotta V, Tomlinson E, Hornbach C, Dressen N, Goldkuhle M, Maisch P, Dahm P, Heidenreich A, Skoetz N. First-line therapy for adults with advanced renal cell carcinoma: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 May 4;5(5):CD013798. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013798.pub2. PubMed 37146227
• Bedke J, Rini BI, Plimack ER, Stus V, Gafanov R, Waddell T, Nosov D, Pouliot F, Soulieres D, Melichar B, Vynnychenko I, Azevedo SJ, Borchiellini D, McDermott RS, Tamada S, Nguyen AM, Wan S, Perini RF, Rhoda Molife L, Atkins MB, Powles T. Health-related Quality of Life Analysis from KEYNOTE-426: Pembrolizumab plus Axitinib Versus Sunitinib for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma. Eur Urol. 2022 Oct;82(4):427-439. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2022.06.009. Epub 2022 Jul 15. PubMed 35843776
• Rini BI, Atkins MB, Plimack ER, Soulieres D, McDermott RS, Bedke J, Tartas S, Alekseev B, Melichar B, Shparyk Y, Kondoh C, Langiewicz P, Wood LA, Hammers H, Silber CG, Haber B, Jensen E, Chen M, Powles T. Characterization and Management of Treatment-emergent Hepatic Toxicity in Patients with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma Receiving First-line Pembrolizumab plus Axitinib. Results from the KEYNOTE-426 Trial. Eur Urol Oncol. 2022 Apr;5(2):225-234. doi: 10.1016/j.euo.2021.05.007. Epub 2021 Jul 6. PubMed 34244116
• Rini BI, Atkins MB, Choueiri TK, Thomaidou D, Rosbrook B, Thakur M, Hutson TE. Time to Resolution of Axitinib-Related Adverse Events After Treatment Interruption in Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2021 Oct;19(5):e306-e312. doi: 10.1016/j.clgc.2021.03.019. Epub 2021 Apr 5. PubMed 33947608
• Powles T, Plimack ER, Soulieres D, Waddell T, Stus V, Gafanov R, Nosov D, Pouliot F, Melichar B, Vynnychenko I, Azevedo SJ, Borchiellini D, McDermott RS, Bedke J, Tamada S, Yin L, Chen M, Molife LR, Atkins MB, Rini BI. Pembrolizumab plus axitinib versus sunitinib monotherapy as first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (KEYNOTE-426): extended follow-up from a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2020 Dec;21(12):1563-1573. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30436-8. Epub 2020 Oct 23. PubMed 33284113
• Rini BI, Plimack ER, Stus V, Gafanov R, Hawkins R, Nosov D, Pouliot F, Alekseev B, Soulieres D, Melichar B, Vynnychenko I, Kryzhanivska A, Bondarenko I, Azevedo SJ, Borchiellini D, Szczylik C, Markus M, McDermott RS, Bedke J, Tartas S, Chang YH, Tamada S, Shou Q, Perini RF, Chen M, Atkins MB, Powles T; KEYNOTE-426 Investigators. Pembrolizumab plus Axitinib versus Sunitinib for Advanced Renal-Cell Carcinoma. N Engl J Med. 2019 Mar 21;380(12):1116-1127. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1816714. Epub 2019 Feb 16. PubMed 30779529
• Atkins MB, Plimack ER, Puzanov I, Fishman MN, McDermott DF, Cho DC, Vaishampayan U, George S, Olencki TE, Tarazi JC, Rosbrook B, Fernandez KC, Lechuga M, Choueiri TK. Axitinib in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced renal cell cancer: a non-randomised, open-label, dose-finding, and dose-expansion phase 1b trial. Lancet Oncol. 2018 Mar;19(3):405-415. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30081-0. Epub 2018 Feb 10. PubMed 29439857