A variety of therapeutic agents are currently available for the systemic treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). It was only when targeted treatment was developed in the past decade that a significant improvement was achieved in tumour therapy. This also led to the development of sequential treatment for mRCC.7 molecular targeted agents are available today (axitinib, bevacizumab/ IFNα, everolimus, pazopanib, sorafenib, sunitinib, and temsirolimus). Due to the individualisation of treatment it remains a challenge to choose the most appropriate drug in a given setting, with the choice being based on the knowledge of the relevant clinical data as well as individual patient parameters.During the recent past, efforts have been made to test different inhibitors or combinations without a major breakthrough. Instead, the development of novel specific immunotherapeutic approaches now heralds the next level of treatment in mRCC. The first significant trial results will be expected this year, and further trials for optimisation of treatment are warranted.
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