At the Thirteenth International Kidney Cancer Symposium, Dr James Brugarolas (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, TX) discusses the clinical significance of biologically classifying kidney cancer.
Advances in genome sequencing methods allowed the identification of a range of mutations in kidney cancer and accordingly, mutation-defined subtypes. Some mutation-defined subtypes are associated with distinct clinical outcomes and therefore support the use of a molecular classification for treatment decisions. This molecular information may also improve clinical trial design through identification of patients who are more likely to benefit from investigational agents.