Novel investigative approaches for advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma remains one of the most treatment-resistant malignancies in humans. As such, long-term survival is limited to a minority of patients. Interferon-alpha and interleukin-2 induced major responses in some patients with renal cell carcinoma, and in so doing generated a great deal of interest and hope. However, clinical benefit is limited to relatively few patients. Here, we briefly discuss the management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma, and then elaborate on several novel treatment approaches in development, including retinoids, monoclonal antibodies, and antiangiogenesis strategies.