Merck Presents New Data on Bladder and Kidney Cancer Treatments at 2026 ASCO GU Symposium
- KEYNOTE-B15 data shows pembrolizumab plus enfortumab vedotin improves survival in bladder cancer.
- LITESPARK-022 highlights disease-free survival with belzutifan plus pembrolizumab in renal cell carcinoma.
- LITESPARK-011 shows progression-free survival with belzutifan and lenvatinib in advanced renal cell carcinoma.
- Sacituzumab tirumotecan plus pembrolizumab data presented for advanced urothelial carcinoma.
Introduction
Merck presented new data on treatments for bladder and kidney cancers at the 2026 ASCO GU Cancers Symposium. The data highlights advancements in survival rates and treatment efficacy.
Bladder Cancer Treatment
The KEYNOTE-B15 study revealed that the combination of KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) and Padcev® (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) significantly improved event-free survival, overall survival, and pathologic complete response rates in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer eligible for cisplatin.
Renal Cell Carcinoma Insights
The LITESPARK-022 trial demonstrated the disease-free survival benefit of WELIREG® (belzutifan) combined with KEYTRUDA for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma following nephrectomy. Additionally, the LITESPARK-011 trial showed progression-free survival benefits of WELIREG in combination with LENVIMA® (lenvatinib) for advanced renal cell carcinoma patients whose disease progressed after anti-PD-1/L1 therapy.
Investigational Treatments
Merck also presented data from the Phase 2 MK-2870-002 study, evaluating the investigational antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT) in combination with KEYTRUDA for advanced urothelial carcinoma. This study is part of Merck's collaboration with Kelun-Biotech.
Source: Merck