FDA-Approved Medical Treatments for Kidney Cancer

Medical treatments for kidney cancer, including generic and brand names of the drug, when it was approved, the manufacturer(s) or distributor (if different from the manufacturer), the mechanism of action, and how it is administered. See definitions below.

Please note: all treatments included were tested almost exclusively on clear cell patients, but some of these drugs have also shown efficacy in papillary cell carcinoma and other types of kidney cancer.

* Approval for pembrolizumab is given for its combination with axitinib, which itself was approved as a monotherapy in 2012. The combination was approved in April 2019.

** Approval for avelumab is given for its combination with axitinib. The combination was approved in May 2019.

*** Belzutifan is a hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) inhibitor used for patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease for associated renal cell carcinoma.

TKI

A TKI is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Tyrosine kinases are enzymes that promote cell growth and division, which in turn promotes tumor growth. A TKI is a chemical that is designed to reduce the effect of tyrosine kinases by blocking their activity, consequently reducing the nutrients that feed the tumor cells. TKIs are also called targeted therapies.

Monoclonal Antibody

A monoclonal antibody is a protein, produced in a laboratory, is designed to, in this case, bind with and destroy cancer cells. They can be used alone or can be manufactured to carry toxins or other substances that will assist in killing the tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies have high specificity in that they are designed to bind only with specific cells, thus reducing side effects.

mTOR Inhibitor

An mTOR inhibitor is a protein that blocks the activity of another protein called mTOR, which regulates cell growth, proliferation and survival. mTOR promotes the growth of new blood vessels, which are necessary for tumor growth.