Kidney cancer specialists: 3 things to know about renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
January 12, 2026
Medically Reviewed | Last reviewed by Pavlos Msaouel, M.D., Ph.D., and Andrew Hahn, M.D., on January 12, 2026
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the scientific name for kidney cancer. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma accounts for about 75% of all new kidney cancer cases diagnosed annually in the U.S.
The remaining 25% fall under the umbrella term of “non-clear cell kidney cancer.” These include many different subtypes, such as papillary kidney cancer, chromophobe kidney cancer, renal medullary carcinoma, collecting duct kidney cancer, and translocation kidney cancer, to name but a few.
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with kidney cancer, it’s important to understand exactly which type you have. Why?
“Because each kidney cancer is managed and treated very differently,” explains Pavlos Msaouel, M.D., Ph.D., a genitourinary medical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of renal medullary carcinoma.
Msaouel and Andrew Hahn, M.D., explored this topic in a recent Cancerwise podcast. Here are three highlights.
Traditional chemotherapy is not normally used to treat renal cell carcinoma
Hahn notes that first-line treatment is pretty straightforward now for patients with renal cell carcinoma. At MD Anderson, they will likely receive one of four different drug combinations. These are:
- nivolumab plus cabozantinib
- nivolumab plus ipilimumab
- pembrolizumab plus axitinib
- pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib
Each combination includes at least one type of immunotherapy called a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor, such as nivolumab. The other half is either a different type of immunotherapy — such as a CTLA-4 immune checkpoint inhibitor — or a targeted therapy drug, such as axitinib.
“There’s really no role for classic chemotherapy anymore in the treatment of metastatic clear cell carcinoma,” Hahn explains. “These new drugs activate the immune system in a different way to recognize and attack the kidney cancer.”
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The opposite may be true for some rare kidney cancer subtypes
Patients who are diagnosed with other types of kidney cancer, though — especially rare ones — may find that the opposite is true for them.
“We never give chemotherapy to patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma,” Msaouel explains. “But we do prioritize chemotherapy for other kidney cancer types.”
In fact, he notes, the immunotherapies that have transformed the care of so many patients with renal cell carcinoma may be ineffective — and even harmful — for patients with renal medullary carcinoma.
“This’s why it is so important to get an accurate diagnosis up-front,” he says. “Every case is unique. And, we develop tailored therapies specifically for each subtype.”
Clinical trials offer new kidney cancer treatment options
MD Anderson researchers are constantly trying to find new ways to treat kidney cancer through clinical trials.
“In other words,” says Hahn, “we are adding new tools to the toolbox.”
One way they’re doing this is by measuring the amount of a protein called KIM-1 in the blood. “KIM-1 seems to be very closely associated with how extensive a kidney cancer is,” says Hahn.
Another way is to sequence the DNA of a patient’s tumor, then use that to create an individualized test to see if any residual disease is still circulating in the patient’s bloodstream after treatment.
“If you start detecting it using one of these bespoke ctDNA tools, maybe it’s time to intervene,” Hahn adds.
To learn more about the latest in renal cell carcinoma treatment from Msaouel and Hahn, listen to the podcast.
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