Dr. Motzer on the Milestone of Immunotherapy in RCC

Robert J. Motzer, MD, medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2016 Giant of Cancer Care in Genitourinary Cancer, discusses the explosion of immunotherapy in the landscape of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

As someone who has practiced in the field for more than 25 years, Motzer says it wasn't until about 10 years ago where this was a field that didn't offer much, in terms of therapies, to patients. RCC was a poor prognosis, he adds, and in an area that didn't seem worthy to do clinical trials.

However, the addition of VEGF-targeted therapies, mTOR inhibitors, and immunotherapy agents have brought this landscape up to a new level and changed RCC into a chronic disease, Motzer says. Immunotherapy has allowed for a giant step forward in providing better care for patient, he adds.