Metastatic renal cell carcinoma: A guide to therapy based on current evidence

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was, until recently, considered a challenging disease to treat with few therapeutic options of limited benefit. The past few years have seen spectacular advances in the treatment of this disease based on understanding the molecular pathways behind tumor growth and angiogenesis. This progress has led to the development of targeted therapies such as the receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors sunitinib and sorafenib, the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor antibody bevacizumab, and a class of rapamycin analogues that includes temsirolimus and everolimus that have each demonstrated clinical efficacy in patients with metastatic RCC. The goal of this manuscript is to review the current evidence based on large randomized trials and propose a rationale paradigm for the treatment of this disease.