Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-2 Alpha as a Novel Target in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), an important mediator of hypoxia response, is implicated in tumorigenesis in the setting of pseudohypoxia, such as in the inactivation of von Hippel–Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL), leading to development and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Targeting downstream molecules in HIF pathway, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), has led to improvement in clinical outcome for patients with advanced ccRCC, but such therapy thus far has been limited by eventual resistance and treat-ment failure. Following the discovery of HIF-2 alpha playing a key role in ccRCC carcinogenesis, inhibitors targeting HIF-2 alpha have been developed and have demonstrated encouraging efficacy and safety profile in clinical trials. This review discusses HIF-2 alpha as a promising therapeutic target for ccRCC.

Keywords

• clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC); hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF); pseudohypoxia; HIF-2α inhibitors; von Hippel-Lindau (VHL)