Hans Hammers, M.D., Ph.D. Answers Questions On: Kidney Cancer

The mainstay of kidney cancer therapy right now is treatment with targeted therapy such as VEGF inhibitors. But since the approval of more modern immunotherapies like nivolumab in 2015, the whole landscape is changing. We expect it to continue to change very rapidly over the next year.

New combination immunotherapies will probably make their way into the clinic over the next year or two, and that will be a real game changer for kidney cancer patients.

Immunotherapies boost the body’s immune defenses to help block or control the spread of cancer. This type of treatment has been beneficial to patients with metastatic kidney cancer in the past. Now we are improving these therapies in combination with other targeted therapies and even radiation to potentially increase a patient’s response to them.

Patients should come to UT Southwestern for the amazing team of outstanding specialists focused on kidney cancer. We have more experience than most other oncologists in the community who may see only one or two kidney cancer patients a year. This is an advantage for patients, and they tend to do better and receive a higher quality of care.