Scientists are looking for causes of RCC and ways to prevent RCC. Doctors are working to improve treatments as part of a major effort to lower the number of RCC cases and deaths from this cancer.
Genetics: Scientists are studying several genes that may play a part in changing normal kidney cells into RCC. Eventually, doctors may be able to effectively add normal genes back into RCC cells to reverse their cancerous behavior. RCC is a unique tumor that often develops a gene mutation which allows it to reject chemotherapy. This MDR (multi-drug resistance) gene is an ongoing target of research to determine how it can be deactivated.
Immunotherapy: Clinical trials of new immunotherapy methods are being tested. And studies to find the best doses of cytokine which are effective but minimize side effects are also in progress. Basic research directed toward a better understanding of the immune system, how it reacts to cancer, and how to activate it, is expected to lead to increasingly powerful immunotherapy.
Monoclonal antibodies : Antibodies (a specific immune reaction to a target on a cancer cell) to many RCC have been developed by Dr. Neil Bander in our department to help localize sites of cancer in the body as well as to direct treatment against cancer cells.
Chemotherapy: Currently available drugs are not very effective against RCC. New drugs are being developed and tested with the intention of finding more effective treatments. Basic research into understanding why RCC is so resistant to chemotherapy is expected to provide answers that can be applied to developing new chemotherapy strategies.
New approaches to treatment: Several new approaches to cancer treatment are being applied to RCC. These include antiangiogenesis drugs (killing cancers by stopping their blood supply) and anti-growth factor drugs (which interfere with substances some cancer cells produce to stimulate their own growth).
