Tislelizumab combined with apatinib in the treatment of advanced renal clear cell carcinoma: a case report

Most patients with advanced renal cancer develop drug resistance to targeted drugs, and the disease progresses with the prolongation of the treatment cycle. Therefore, it is necessary to explore new treatment methods for advanced renal cancer to obtain continuous efficacy and prolong the survival time of patients. The patient was diagnosed with advanced renal cancer that had progressed after previous antiangiogenic drug therapy, based on the clinical course and imaging findings. The patient was treated with ‘tislelizumab plus apatinib’. The clinical discomfort symptoms were quickly relieved after treatment, and the evaluation two cycles later showed stable disease. After two cycles of continuation of the original regimen, reevaluation computed tomography demonstrated a significant reduction in the size of the abdominal cavity mass and the therapeutic evaluation was partial remission after four cycles; however, the patient developed abnormal liver function after treatment, manifested as nausea and poor appetite, and significantly increased bilirubin and transaminase levels, which were considered as immune-related liver injuries. After glucocorticoid treatment, the patient’s condition quickly improved and recovered. This report is the first to suggest a potential approach to advanced renal clear cell carcinoma and describes the effects of immunocombination therapy on advanced renal clear cell carcinoma; the results showed the current stage success of the immunocombination treatment, suggesting that this treatment may be an effective treatment option for patients with advanced renal clear cell carcinoma. In addition, the toxic and side effects of combined immunotherapy need to be carefully identified by every doctor. Since only one patient with advanced renal cancer was observed in this report, the clinical data are very limited and further observation and accumulation of more experience are needed, and further clinical studies will be conducted on the efficacy and safety of this combination regimen.