Complete Remission of Bone Metastases in Renal Cell Carcinoma with Nivolumab

A 60-year-old female, who presented with abdominal discomfort, was noted to have an enhancing left renal mass, with central necrosis on a CT scan. She underwent radical nephrectomy and biopsy revealed clear cell renal cell carcinoma, Fuhrman grade 4. After 1.5 years of her surgery, she developed metastatic disease with pulmonary nodules and was started on sunitinib. She had disease progression with development of a new 8.2 x 7.6 cm expansile, lytic bony lesion with a complete destruction of the left scapula and 5th left rib lesion. She was treated with Nivolumab for three years. Scans revealed complete resolution of the left scapular metastasis, left rib lesion and the pulmonary nodules. The patient experienced no skeletal-related event (SRE), and no bisphosphonates or receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) inhibitor was used. The patient remains in complete remission, three years out of treatment. This case highlights the importance of exploring this particular class of drugs for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with bone metastasis.