title: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation: the next generation of therapy for metastatic renal cell cancer.
abstract: The management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) remains a therapeutic challenge; less than 10% of patients survive for longer than 5 years. The resistance of renal cancer to chemotherapy may be explained by high levels of the multidrug resistance gene, MDR1. Immune-based treatments for renal cancer have been explored because of their unusual susceptibility to immunological assault. However, response rates to cytokines such as interleukin-2 and interferon-alpha have ranged from only 10% to 20%, prompting other immunotherapy approaches, such as allogeneic stem-cell transplantation, to be investigated. Several clinical trials have provided evidence of partial or complete disease regression in refractory mRCC following nonmyeloablative stem-cell transplantation. This effect is because of a donor antimalignancy effect mediated by immunocompetent donor T cells, called graft-versus-tumor effect. Unfortunately, less than 30% of patients who could have this procedure will have a human-leukocyte-antigen-compatible sibling, and attention is focusing on alternative donors such as matched unrelated donors and partially mismatched related donors. Despite the improved safety of nonmyeloablative conditioning regimens, transplant-related toxic effects (particularly graft-versus-host disease) remain obstacles to the safe and effective use of this treatment. Regardless of these limitations, innovative approaches have attempted to harness the potential of the graft-versus-tumor effect in mRCC and other solid tumors.
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Urology, University College London, UK. manit_arya@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Manit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arya
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Hitendra R H
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000276:immunology / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology; D020350:Graft vs Tumor Effect / Q000276:immunology; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D015778:Minor Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015778:Minor Histocompatibility Antigens