Results from phase 3 study of 89Zr-DFO-girentuximab for PET/CT imaging of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ZIRCON).
Authors: Shuch Brian M. , Pantuck Allan J. , Bernhard Jean-Christophe , Morris Michael A. , Master Viraj A. , Scott Andrew Mark , Van Praet Charles , Bailly Clément , Aksoy Tamer , Merkx Robin , Schuster David M. , Lee Sze Ting , Pandit-Taskar Neeta , Fan Alice C. , Tauchmanova Libuse , Allman Phillip , Vadali Kavita , Hayward Colin , Mulders Peter 
Published: March 2023

LBA602 Background: The increasing detection of renal masses presents a significant patient management challenge. Diagnostic options include cross-sectional imaging, which cannot reliably differentiate benign and malignant renal masses, and biopsy, which is invasive and subject to sampling errors. These limitations highlight the unmet need for accurate noninvasive techniques to guide patient management. Girentuximab is a monoclonal antibody that targets carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), an enzyme highly expressed in clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC). Radiolabeled 89Zr-DFO-girentuximab (TLX250-CDx) is highly specific for CAIX and can aid differentiation between ccRCCs and other renal lesions. The ZIRCON study evaluated the performance of TLX250-CDx PET/CT for detection of ccRCC in adult patients with indeterminate renal masses (IDRM). Methods: ZIRCON was an open-label, multicenter clinical trial. Patients with an IDRM (≤ 7 cm; tumor stage cT1) who were scheduled for partial nephrectomy within 90 days from planned TLX250-CDx administration were eligible. Enrolled patients received a single dose of TLX250-CDx IV (37 MBq ± 10%; 10 mg girentuximab) on Day 0 and underwent PET/CT imaging on Day 5 (± 2 days) prior to surgery. Blinded central histology review determined ccRCC status. The coprimary objectives were to evaluate both the sensitivity and specificity of TLX250-CDx PET/CT imaging in detecting ccRCC in patients with IDRM, using histology as the standard of truth. Key secondary objectives included sensitivity and specificity of TLX250-CDx PET/CT imaging in the subgroup of patients with IDRM ≤ 4 cm (cT1a). Other secondary objectives included positive and negative predictive values, safety, and tolerability. The Wilson 95% confidence intervals (CI) lower bound for sensitivity and specificity had to be > 70% and 68% respectively for ≥ 2 independent readers to declare the study successful. Results: 300 patients received TLX250-CDx; mean age was 62 ± 12 y; 71% were males. Of 288 patients with central histopathology of surgical samples, 193 (67%) had ccRCC, and 179 (62%) had CT1a; Of 284 evaluable patients included in primary analysis, the average across all 3 readers for sensitivity and specificity was 86% [80%, 90%] and 87% [79%, 92%] respectively for coprimary endpoints; and 85% [77%, 91%] and 90% [79%, 95%] respectively for key secondary endpoints. For all readers, the lower boundaries of 95% CI for coprimary and key secondary endpoints were > 75%. For all evaluable patients, positive and negative predictive values were ≥ 91.7% and ≥ 73.7%, respectively. Of 263 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), 2 TEAEs were treatment related. Conclusions: This study confirms that TLX250-CDx PET/CT is well tolerated and can accurately and noninvasively identify ccRCC, with promising utility for designing best management approaches for patients with IDRM. Clinical trial information: NCT03849118 .