Perlmutter Cancer Center

The purpose of this study is to compare any good and bad effects of using nivolumab (also known as OPDIVO®), before and after the kidney cancer surgery to using the usual approach of surgically removing the kidney cancer followed by standard post-operative follow-up and monitoring. Nivolumab is a drug that may help stimulate your immune system to attack any cancer cells that may remain after surgery. The addition of nivolumab to the usual surgery could prevent your cancer from returning but it could also cause side effects. This research study will allow researchers to find out whether this different treatment is better, the same, or worse than the usual treatment for kidney cancer that has been removed, but is at risk for coming back. The study drug, nivolumab, is already FDA-approved for patients who have kidney cancer that has spread outside of the kidney to other organs or lymph nodes. The use of nivolumab in this study is investigational (not approved by the FDA) for your early stage of cancer where we do not know for sure if the disease has spread outside of the kidney. This research study will allow the researchers to know whether this different approach is better, the same, or worse than the usual approaches. To be better, the study drug should improve how long you are able to live without any signs or symptoms of your cancer compared to the usual approaches.