Kidney Cancer Medications

Cytotoxic chemotherapy, the oldest and most commonly used type of cancer treatment, halts cell division and kills rapidly growing cells. For a full list of chemotherapy drugs, click here.

Bavencio is a checkpoint inhibitor approved for advanced or metastatic bladder (urothelial) cancer—both as maintenance therapy and for patients who progress on chemotherapy—metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma and advanced kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma).

Keytruda is a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor approved for inoperable or metastatic melanoma, adjuvant treatment of melanoma after surgery, non-small-cell lung cancer, bladder (urothelial) cancer, head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer, stomach cancer, classic Hodgkin lymphoma, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and pre- and post-surgery treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. It is also approved for all metastatic solid tumors with high microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiency mutations (MSI-H/dMMR) or high tumor mutation burden. 

Opdivo is a checkpoint inhibitor approved for inoperable or metastatic melanoma, metastatic or recurrent non-small-cell lung cancer, advanced kidney cancer, relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma, recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer, advanced or metastatic bladder (urothelial) cancer, liver cancer, advanced stomach and esophageal cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma and colorectal cancer with high microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiency genetic mutations. 

Yervoy is a checkpoint inhibitor approved for advanced or metastatic melanoma, and in combination with Opdivo for kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma), colorectal cancer with high microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiency genetic mutations (MSI-high/dMMR), advanced liver cancer and metastatic or recurrent non-small-cell lung cancer.

Afinitor is a kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer in previously treated postmenopausal women, as well as for advanced kidney cancer and advanced or metastatic neuroendocrine tumors of the lung, pancreas, and gastrointestinal tract.

Avastin is a VEGF inhibitor approved for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma), recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer, recurrent glioblastoma brain cancer, liver cancer, and ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer. Mvasi and Zirabev are biosimilar medications.

Cabometyx is a multikinase inhibitor approved for advanced kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma) and previously treated liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma).

Fotivda is a kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of relapsed or refractory (nonresponsive) advanced renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer.

Inlyta is a kinase inhibitor approved for previously treated advanced kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma).

Lenvima is a multikinase inhibitor approved for treatment of recurrent or metastatic thyroid cancer, previously treated kidney cancer and inoperable liver cancer.

Nexavar is a multikinase inhibitor approved for treatment of inoperable liver cancer that can't be surgically removed, advanced kidney cancer and recurrent or metastatic thyroid cancer.

Rozlytrek is approved for the treatment of solid tumors anywhere in the body that have NTRK gene fusions and for ROS1-positive non-small-cell lung cancer.

Sutent is a kinase inhibitor approved for treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumor, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and advanced kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma), and for adjuvant treatment of high-risk kidney cancer after surgery.

Torisel is a kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma).

Vitrakvi is a TRK inhibitor that works against cancers anywhere in the body with NTRK gene fusions.

Votrient is a multikinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma) and previously treated soft tissue sarcoma.