Predictive markers of response to therapy are increasingly important in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) due to the proliferation of treatment options in recent years. Different types of potential predictive markers may include clinical, toxicity-based, serum, tissue, and radiologic biomarkers. Clinical factors are commonly used in overall prognostic models of RCC but have limited utility in predicting response to therapy. Correlation between development of particular toxicities and response to therapy has been noted, such as the correlation between hypertension and response to angiogenesis-targeted therapy. Serum and tissue biomarkers will be covered in detail elsewhere, but factors such as serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and circulating cytokines show promise in this regard. Finally, baseline or early treatment radiology studies may have predictive ability for longer term efficacy, with most studies to date focusing on functional imaging modalities such as positron emission tomography (PET) scans, dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and DCE ultrasound (US). The ultimate goal of developing predictive biomarkers is to enable rational and personalized treatment strategies for patients with advanced RCC.
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