Triple-Drug Combinations Fail to Improve Outcomes in Advanced Kidney Cancer Trial

A large Phase 3 trial, LITESPARK-012, involving 1,688 patients with previously untreated advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma, found that adding a third drug (belzutifan or a CTLA-4 immunotherapy) to the standard Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and Lenvima (lenvatinib) combination did not extend patients' lives or keep their cancer in check longer. The results, presented at the ESMO Congress 2026, suggest that the two-drug combination remains the standard of care and that more medicine is not always better.