Abstract
Introduction: Renal cell cancer accounts for approximately 2-3% of all cases of malignancy. The incidence of kidney cancer in the Czech Republic is the highest in the world.
Approximately 70% of renal cell carcinomas are clear-cell renal cancer. Various treatment options for metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC) have been developed.
Treatment regimens comprise antiangiogenic drugs in combination with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitors, mTOR inhibitors, and immunotherapy. Aim: This review provides an overview of the current treatment options for mRCC.
Patients with a good performance status and a low systemic disease burden are candidates for cytoreductive nephrectomy. Ablative methods, such as stereotactic radiotherapy, can be used in patients with oligometastatic disease.
Sunitinib and pazopanib are preferred first-line treatments for mRCC and provide similar outcomes. Second-line and higher line treatments markedly changed with the development of new drugs, such as cabozantinib and the immunotherapy nivolumab.
The optimal treatment sequence for mRCC is discussed. Ongoing studies are evaluating combined treatments and searching for potential biomarkers.
However, the tumor heterogeneity of renal cell cancer complicates the use of biomarkers. Conclusion: The results of clinical trials have markedly changed the treatment guidelines for mRCC.
New strategies include combinatorial approaches, which mainly incorporate immunotherapy.