Angiogenesis Inhibitors and Immunomodulation in Renal Cell Cancers: The Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

Angiogenesis inhibitors have been adopted into the standard armamentarium of therapies for advanced-stage renal cell carcinomas (RCC), but more recently, combination regimens with immune checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated better outcomes. Despite this, the majority of affected patients still eventually experience progressive disease due to therapeutic resistance mechanisms, and there remains a need to develop novel therapeutic strategies. This article will review the synergistic mechanisms behind angiogenesis and immunomodulation in the tumor microenvironment and discuss the pre-clinical and clinical evidence for both clear-cell and non-clear-cell RCC, exploring opportunities for future growth in this exciting area of drug development.

Keywords

• renal cell carcinoma
• immunotherapy
• angiogenesis inhibitor
• targeted therapy
• drug resistance
• tumor microenvironment