Precision medicine (PM) shows potential to outperform conventional medicine in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma patients with tailored treatment plans.

Renal Cell Cancer (RCC) is the cancer of the kidney. It occurs when cancer cells form in the tubules of the kidney. Smoking and misuse of certain pain medicines can affect the risk of renal cell cancer. The RCC tumor is diverse, it shows both intra- and inter-diversity. The tumor’s variety is displayed not only in different patients but also among RCC cells in the same tumor. This makes the treatment different because different cells respond differently, even with targeted treatment.

Given the scenario, PM can cater individualised treatment plans for a specific set of patients, thereby creating a shift in the clinical management of RCC.

Recent progress in biochemical, molecular, and histological characteristics of RCC has thrown light on many deregulated pathways involved in the pathogenesis of RCC. Although efforts have been made in the past to evaluate the response to biomarkers in target therapies and immunotherapy in patients with RCC, none have shown any success.

The use of patient-derived organoids and patient-derived xenograft (PDX), development of cancer vaccines and CAR-T cells are slowly creating a bigger stage for the PM.

Precision medicine-based therapies are rapidly evolving, and only a few are currently in clinical practise in oncology. It is reasonable to expect PM to expand its way toward the robust treatment of patients with RCC and other patients with cancer. With sky rocketing costs of healthcare, PM has a scope of providing personalized healthcare at affordable costs.

Source:

Sharma R, Kannourakis G, Prithviraj P, et. al. Precision Medicine: An Optimal Approach to Patient Care in Renal Cell Carcinoma. Front Med (Lausanne). 2022 Jun 14; doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.766869.