Renal cell carcinoma is the most common kidney cancer in adults, accounting for about 90% of kidney cancers. Treatment depends on stage: early-stage disease is often cured with surgery, while advanced disease is treated with combinations of immunotherapy, targeted drugs, and sometimes surgery. Five-year survival for metastatic disease has improved dramatically over the past decade.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing new combinations of checkpoint inhibitors with drugs targeting blood vessel growth, newer TKIs that block cancer cell signals, and CAR-T cell approaches adapted from blood cancer treatments. Researchers are also studying whether treating small kidney tumors with ablation can match surgery outcomes, and testing adjuvant therapy after surgery to prevent recurrence.
Immunotherapy combinations
Pairing checkpoint inhibitors like nivolumab with drugs that starve tumors of blood supply has become standard for metastatic disease. Trials are now testing triple combinations and looking for biomarkers that predict which patients respond best.
HIF-2α inhibitors
A new class of drugs blocks a protein that helps kidney cancer cells survive low oxygen. Belzutifan was FDA-approved in 2021 for von Hippel-Lindau disease and is now being tested in broader kidney cancer populations.
CAR-T for solid tumors
Researchers are engineering immune cells to attack CAIX, a protein abundant on kidney cancer cells. Early trials are testing whether these modified cells can work against solid tumors as they do in blood cancers.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on disease stage, prior treatments, kidney function, type of renal cell carcinoma, and presence of metastases.
What types of trials are currently open
- Combination therapy trials — Testing pairs or triplets of immunotherapy and targeted drugs to find the most effective regimen with tolerable side effects for metastatic disease.
- Adjuvant trials — Testing whether giving immunotherapy or targeted drugs after surgery prevents cancer from coming back in people at high risk of recurrence.
- Surgery vs. ablation trials — Comparing outcomes when small kidney tumors are destroyed with heat or cold rather than surgically removed.
- Biomarker studies — Looking for genetic or molecular markers that predict which treatments will work best for each person's cancer.
- Quality of life studies — Following people to understand how treatments affect daily function, fatigue, and long-term health.
Recently added Renal Cell Carcinoma trials
Study on MRD Prediction of Efficacy of Toripalimab in the Treatment of High-risk Recurrent Renal Carcinoma
This is a prospective cohort study aimed at clarifying the predictive value of MRD for postoperative DFS and OS in high-risk recurrent renal cell carcinoma patients who have undergone radical nephrectomy and received adjuvant treatment with Toripalimab. Further differentiating patients who need adjuvant immunotherapy.
A Study of a Side Effects and Resource Navigation Program for People With Cancer
The purpose of this study is to find out if the navigation program helps participants manage immunotherapy treatment better than usual care. Investigators will also look at how the navigation program impacts participants' quality of life. Investigators will measure quality of life by having participants complete questionnaires.
Find Renal Cell Carcinoma trials matched specifically to you
Answer 3 quick questions and we'll show you trials that fit your situation.