We reviewed previous reports, using PubMed with the search terms 鈥榬enal cell carcinoma鈥? 鈥榤olecular markers鈥? 鈥榩rognosis鈥? 鈥榦utcomes鈥?and 鈥榤ammalian target of rapamycin pathway鈥?published in the last two decades. We created a library of 100 references and focused on presenting the recent advances in the field.
Growing evidence suggests that mTOR deregulation is associated with many types of human cancer, including RCC. Consequently, temsirolimus and everolimus, which target mTOR, are approved for treating advanced RCC. There is a demand to integrate clinical, pathological and molecular markers into accurate prognostic models to provide patients with the most personalised cancer care possible.
The mTOR pathway is highly implicated in RCC tumorigenesis and progression, and its constituents might represent a promising prognostic tool and target for treating RCC. Combining newly discovered molecular markers with classic clinicopathological prognostics might potentially improve the management of RCC.