Interleukin-2 and Pembrolizumab for Metastatic Kidney Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• Diagnosis/Condition for Entry into the Trial: Metastatic kidney cancer. Clear cell histology component from primary or metastatic lesion.
• Willing and able to provide written informed consent for the trial.
• Age over 18 on day of signing informed consent.
• Have measurable disease based on Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1.
• Willing to provide tissue from a newly obtained or archival tissue, if available.
• Have a performance status of 0 or 1 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Scale.
• Demonstrate adequate organ function, as outlined in Table 1 of study protocol document.
• Females of childbearing potential must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy within 72 hours prior to receiving the first dose of study medication. If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required.
• Females of childbearing potential must agree to use 2 methods of birth control or be surgically sterile, or abstain from heterosexual activity for the course of the study through 120 days after the last dose of study medication.
• Males must agree to use an adequate method of contraception starting with the first dose of study therapy through 120 days after the last dose of study therapy.
• Cardiac testing with either exercise stress test or thallium stress test, within 3 months of start of the first treatment day. Atrial fibrillation that is rate controlled is allowed. Note - the first treatment day is about 9 weeks before the first IL-2 treatment day. If a cardiologist's evaluation determines that this is superfluous based on other assessments, then this may be omitted.
• Pulmonary function test is required, within 3 months of start.

Exclusion Criteria

• Is currently participating and receiving study therapy or has participated in a study of an investigational agent and received study therapy or used an investigational device within 4 weeks of the first dose of treatment.
• Has a diagnosis of immunodeficiency or is receiving systemic steroid therapy or any other form of immunosuppressive therapy within 7 days prior to the first dose of trial treatment.
• Has a known history of active Bacillus Tuberculosis (TB).
• Has hypersensitivity to pembrolizumab or any of its excipients.
• The number of prior therapies is restricted as follows: (a) Zero or one prior therapies during the preceding one year. This serves to limit the treatment cohort to patients with either only slowly progressive disease, or up to one prior therapy. (b) No prior PD-1 or PD-L1 antibody therapies are allowed. (c) Prior IL-2 is allowed, if it finished more than 1 year prior. (d) The following are not counted as medical therapies: nephrectomy, radiation therapy, other energy-ablative techniques, or metastasectomy.
• Has had a prior anti-cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) within 4 weeks prior to study Day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., ≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier.
• Has had prior chemotherapy, targeted small molecule therapy, or radiation therapy within 2 weeks prior to study Day 1 or who has not recovered (i.e., ≤ Grade 1 or at baseline) from adverse events due to a previously administered agent. - Note: Subjects with ≤ Grade 2 neuropathy are an exception to this criterion and may qualify for the study. - Note: If subject received major surgery, they must have recovered adequately from the toxicity and/or complications from the intervention prior to starting therapy.
• Has a known additional malignancy that is progressing or requires active treatment. Exceptions include basal cell carcinoma of the skin or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that has undergone potentially curative therapy or in situ cervical cancer.
• Has known active central nervous system (CNS) metastases and/or carcinomatous meningitis. Potential participants with previously treated brain metastases may participate pr