The implementation of lenvatinib/everolimus or lenvatinib/pembrolizumab combinations in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Introduction: There are 400,000 new cases of Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) and 175,000 deaths worldwide every year. Currently available frontline therapies to treat RCC have less toxicity than previously employed therapeutic agents, but drug resistance is still a clinically significant problem. Drug resistance occurs through angiogenic escape by the activation of pathways that are independent of the VEGF targets of most first-line therapies. The lenvatinib/everolimus and lenvatinib/pembrolizumab are part of a new generation of combinations that can combat this method of resistance to extend both progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with metastatic RCC. Areas covered: This article discusses the evolution of current data on the efficacy and safety of these two combinations and future directions for their implementation in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. Expert opinion: Future research will focus on these combinations in contrast with other currently approved regimens. Once specific biomarkers that predict response to treatment are identified, the future of treatment of mRCC will involve specifically tailored therapies for a patient's genotype. Therapies unique only to the patient undergoing treatment will increase both efficacy and safety of new treatments, and that is the truly exciting future that awaits this field.