Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the 10th leading cause of deaths from cancer in the Western world. During the last two decades this type of malignancy was difficult to treat with limited treatment options using cytokines like interferon alpha (IFN) or interleukin-2 (IL-2). The development of targeted therapies that interfere with specific pathways of tumor angiogenesis and proliferation has profoundly changed this situation and improved the prognosis for patients diagnosed with metasatic renal cellcarcinoma (mRCC) considerably. To date, seven targeted therapies have been approved for the first- and second-line treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. In addition, recent data suggest that sequential treatment with these modern drugs is feasable and effective and leads to extended overall survival compared to historical data. As more progress is being made, the variety of therapeutic options makes it challenging in clinical practice to choose the best treatment option for the individual mRCC patient. This review revisits results from the pivotal trials of currently approved therapeutic agents (in chronological order of their approval) in context with latest results from current clinical trials.
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