Renal cell carcinoma accounts for about 90% of kidney cancers. Treatment has changed dramatically over the past two decades, with targeted therapies and immunotherapies now standard for advanced disease. Many people with metastatic kidney cancer now live years longer than was possible with earlier treatments.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing combinations of checkpoint inhibitors with VEGF inhibitors like cabozantinib and lenvatinib, HIF-2α inhibitors for clear cell disease, and newer immunotherapy combinations. Studies are also exploring whether surgery still helps after effective drug treatment, testing adjuvant therapy to prevent recurrence, and identifying biomarkers that predict which drugs will work best.
HIF-2α inhibitors
Belzutifan, FDA-approved in 2021, targets a protein that drives clear cell kidney cancer growth. Trials are testing it in combination with other drugs and in earlier stages of disease.
Immunotherapy combinations
Combining checkpoint inhibitors like nivolumab with drugs that starve tumors of blood supply has become standard, and trials are testing triple combinations. Studies are also looking at whether shorter treatment courses work as well as continuous therapy.
Biomarker-guided treatment
Researchers are studying gene expression patterns and immune markers to predict which patients respond best to immunotherapy versus targeted therapy. This could help avoid ineffective treatments and their side effects.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on disease stage, prior treatments, kidney function, and tumor subtype (clear cell versus non-clear cell).
What types of trials are currently open
- First-line treatment trials — Testing new drug combinations for people with advanced kidney cancer who haven't yet received systemic treatment.
- Treatment-resistant trials — Testing drugs for people whose cancer has progressed after one or more prior therapies.
- Adjuvant trials — Studies of treatment after surgery to reduce the risk of cancer coming back, typically for people at higher risk of recurrence.
- Surgical trials — Testing whether removing the kidney still helps when drug treatment is working well, or comparing different surgical approaches.
- Biomarker studies — Collecting tissue and blood samples to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from specific treatments.
Recently added Renal Cell Carcinoma trials
Take a visualization drug before kidney cancer surgery
The goal of this prospective, single-arm feasibility study is to evaluate the safety and feasibility of using Gleolan® (5-aminolevulinic acid), an FDA-approved drug currently used during brain tumor surgery, in adults with suspected kidney cancer undergoing partial nephrectomy. Gleolan has shown promise in improving the visualization of cancerous tissue, and this study aims to assess its potential use in urologic oncology. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is Gleolan safe and well tolerated in patients with suspected kidney cancer undergoing partial nephrectomy? * Is the use of Gleolan feasible for fluorescence-guided identification of kidney cancer lesions during surgery? Participants will: * Receive Gleolan before surgery according to the study protocol. * Undergo partial nephrectomy, during which fluorescence imaging will be used to evaluate the visualization of kidney tumor tissue. * Be monitored for safety outcomes and any adverse events before, during, and after surgery.
Donate a blood sample to help develop personalized tumor models
This is a study : * Single-center * Prospective * Translational * Based on data and blood samples. In this context, the aim is to collect approximately 10 ml of blood from each patient included in the 3D tumoroid development project. The main objective is to establish and validate a panel of vascularized and perfused 3D tumoroids for personalized medicine based on patient tumors for urological cancers, incorporating autologous immune cells. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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