Dr. Srinivasan on the Challenges of Developing New Therapies in Rare RCC Subtypes

Ramaprasad Srinivasan, MD, PhD, head, Molecular Cancer Therapeutic Section, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, discusses the challenges of developing new therapies to treat patients with rare renal cell carcinoma (RCC) subtypes.

In the preclinical setting, researching potentially novel therapies for RCC subtypes is difficult because many of them are exceedingly rare, Srinivasan says.

Key research tools, such as cell lines and genetically engineered models for treatment evaluation, are limited in this setting compared with more common subtypes, such as clear cell RCC, explains Srinivasan.

Additionally, the speed in which research can be conducted among rare RCC subtypes is a challenge faced in the laboratory setting, Srinivasan says. In the clinical trial setting, accruing patients with rare tumors to open studies also presents a significant hurdle to overcome, concludes Srinivasan.