GU Cancers 2022 | The unmet needs of kidney cancer treatment

Michael Atkins, MD, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington DC, DC, discusses unmet needs in the field of kidney cancer therapeutics. For patients with metastatic kidney cancer, there is a need for improved immunotherapy (IO). Dr Atkins believes that although the combination of anti-PD-1 with VEGF tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) may better the efficacy of VEGF TKIs, this could disrupt the long-term overall-survival (OS) observed with IO, as well as hinder the ability to understand the mechanisms of immune escape in kidney cancer where there should currently be a focus. There is also an unmet need for patients who do not respond to IO or TKIs and those who develop resistance to these therapies, which is where the HIF2A inhibitor, belzutifan, may be of use. Dr Atkins additionally talks on cellular therapy approaches for kidney cancer and the need for better treatment options for patients with non-clear cell RCC. This interview took place at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium 2022 in San Francisco, CA.