The first suggestion that kidney cancer might be a good target for immunotherapy came from the observation that patients with metastatic kidney cancer occasionally experienced spontaneous regressions after surgical removal of the primary tumor. (cancerresearch.org)
Researchers led by Van Allen and Choueiri sought an explanation for why some patients with a form of metastatic kidney cancer called clear cell renal cell cancer (ccRCC) gain clinical benefit — sometimes durable — from treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors that block the PD - 1 checkpoint, while other patients don't. (sciencedaily.com)
One phase I trial of an immune checkpoint blockade drug combined with two established targeted therapies yielded 40 - 50 percent response rates among patients with metastatic kidney cancer. (sciencedaily.com)