Cytokine-based therapy for metastatic renal cell cancer

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has been the model for the development of immune-based therapies. These therapeutic biologic molecules include cytokines such as the interleukins and interferons. Over the last two decades, practitioners have become more facile with the clinical use of these cytokines; for the treatment of metastatic RCC. Although the response rates are modest, the reproducible durable remissions seen with the cytokines underlie their therapeutic development. Their use has been examined in several clinical trials, mainly phase I and phase II. Phase III trials have also been completed or are ongoing, with the potential to answer salient therapeutic questions.