The Evolution of Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

This is a video synopsis/summary of a Post Conference Perspectives featuring Brian Rini, MD, and Hans Hammers, MD, PhD.

In this video, Rini and Hammers discuss recent data on biomarkers presented at the 2023 International Kidney Cancer Symposium (IKCS). They review an abstract examining mismatch repair (MMR) gene deletion in 650 kidney cancer patients. The study found MMR deletions in 2.6% of patients, who responded better to immune-based regimens compared with those without the mutations.

Hammers notes this is unsurprising given the known correlation between higher mutational burden and improved immunotherapy response, although kidney cancers tend to have a lower overall mutational burden. Neither Rini nor Hammers use any clinically useful biomarkers to select kidney cancer treatments in their own practices, beyond considering sarcomatoid differentiation as an indicator for dual immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Rini discusses an ongoing RNA sequencing study that aims to identify biomarkers to help guide standard of care options. However, both agree that large impactful biomarker studies are challenging, and concrete data to guide treatment decisions based on biomarkers is still lacking in kidney cancer. They concur that sarcomatoid histology remains one of the only worthwhile biomarkers used in current clinical practice.

Video synopsis is AI-generated and reviewed by OncLive® editorial staff.