Research Progress in the Application of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Renal Cell Carcinoma

In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have made significant progress in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Especially, the PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4 inhibitors have significantly improved the therapeutic efficacy and prognosis of some patients with kidney cancer. This article reviews the research progress and representative drugs of ICIs in the treatment of RCC, such as nivolumab, pembrolizumab, and Ipilimumab, and analyzes their therapeutic advantages and combination treatment strategies. At the same time, this article also points out that there are still challenges such as heterogeneity of therapeutic efficacy, drug resistance, toxic side effects, and difficulties in evaluating therapeutic efficacy (such as pseudoprogression and hyperprogression). To improve treatment effectiveness, future research should focus on precise population screening, biomarker development, combined therapy, and new nanoscale drug development. In conclusion, although ICIs show great potential in the treatment of RCC, their broad application still requires more mechanism exploration and support from individualized treatment strategies.