Immune checkpoint inhibitors have significantly transformed the treatment paradigm for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), offering prolonged overall survival and achieving remarkable deep and durable responses. However, given the multiple ICI-containing, standard-of-care regimens approved for RCC, identifying biomarkers that predict therapeutic response and resistance is of critical importance. Although tumor-intrinsic features such as pathological characteristics, genomic alterations, and transcriptional signatures have been extensively investigated, they have yet to provide definitive, robust predictive biomarkers. Current research is exploring host factors through in-depth characterization of the immune system. Additionally, innovative technological approaches are being developed to overcome challenges presented by existing techniques, such as tumor heterogeneity. Promising avenues in biomarker discovery include the study of the microbiome, radiomics, and spatial transcriptomics.
American Society of Clinical Oncology educational book. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Annual Meeting. 2024 Jan [Epub]
Renée M Saliby, Eddy Saad, Soki Kashima, David A Schoenfeld, David A Braun
Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA., Yale Center of Cellular and Molecular Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT., Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.