Pharmacotherapies for renal cell carcinoma in Japan

The standard treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma has changed dramatically in the past decade, from cytokine therapy to targeted therapy. Since sorafenib was approved in April 2008, four tyrosine kinase inhibitors and two mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors have become available in Japan. Most Japanese renal cell carcinoma patients are treated by urologists who are involved in not only kidney surgeries, but also targeted therapy using tyrosine kinase inhibitors, as well as mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors. Optimal treatment methods are selected from theoretically‐based global recommendations, such as the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and European Society for Medical Oncology guidelines; however, real‐world clinical practice might be different from that in non‐Asian countries. This might be because of different practical conditions; for example, different adverse events and efficacy profiles, different healthcare system, and so on. In the present review, we examine current pharmacotherapy for renal cell carcinoma from evidence‐based global data, and compare the reality of Japanese clinical practice to explore the importance of individualized patient therapy.