Immunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma

Treatment of metastatic renal cell cancer is still challenging due to its resistance to conventional therapies, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Immunotherapeutic approaches with IL-2 and/or IFN-alpha have become standard regimens in treating metastatic renal cell cancer. Furthermore, molecularly targeted therapies, such as VEGF-pathway inhibition or use of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors, have demonstrated promising results and might become even more important in the following years. Finally, vaccination therapies have gained increasing interest and have been tested in multiple clinical trials. There is a vast choice of different application and production types of these vaccines, ranging from dendritic cell-based principals to the application of naked RNA. The development of new immune-enhancing strategies led to the option of interesting, potent combination regimes. This review has a focus on vaccination therapies in renal cell cancer, especially dendritic cell-based principals, and aims to give an overview of this rapidly changing field of investigation.