Dr. Hsieh on Unmet Needs of Rare Kidney Cancer Variants

James J. Hsieh, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, discusses unmet needs in non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Over the past 15 years, clear cell RCC has gained 15 novel treatments that target 7 different mechanisms, says Hsieh. These options have led to increased survival for these patients who make up the majority of kidney cancers.

However, little progress has been made in non-clear cell RCC, Hsieh says. Due to the rarity of non-clear cell RCC, it is difficult to enroll patients on clinical trials. As a result, little progress has been made in this group of patients with a relatively poor prognosis.

Hsieh hopes that clinical trials will expand to non-clear cell RCC, so the field can work toward better understanding the mechanisms of the disease and improving patient outcomes.