Table 2.
Immunotherapy Agents for Renal Cancer
| Agent | Current Role | Mechanism | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interleukin-2 | Systemic delivery in advanced disease | Cytokine stimulation of T-cell—mediated elimination of tumor cells | 20% response, remission in a small subset |
| Interferon alpha | Systemic delivery in advanced disease | Cytokine stimulation of T-cell—mediated elimination of tumor cells | |
| Nivolumab | Metastatic renal cell cancer | Checkpoint inhibitor | Median overall survival 25 mo with 25% overall response rate |
| Ipililumab | Metastatic renal cell carcinoma | CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor | In combination with nivolumab as a first-line treatment showed superiority to sunitinib; 75% 18-mo survival, 42% overall response rate |
| Atezolizumab + bevacizumab | Metastatic renal cell carcinoma | Anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody + VEGF inhibitor | Patients who progressed on atezolizumab or sunitinib alone, atezolizumab had improved efficacy with bevacizumab |